The Baker and The Scholar
by EmeraldFlight
Summary: One of my oldest fanfictions, from fimfiction. "Pinkie Pie tried not to mention anything to Twilight... she'd tried her best, until the two friends hardly spoke to each other at all. But ten minutes alone with Twilight could bring Pinkie's dreams to life... or shatter them whole."
1. Part One - Recognition

**Act I**

It wasn't at all a regular day in Ponyville. It was too... perfect. The lilac unicorn mused about this as she satcomfortably on the side of her bed, looking contentedly out of the portcullis-like window in front of her. The musky scent of ancient books, combined with the gentle summer breeze floating in through the aperture, played with her senses.

She sighed, perfectly content. Nothing at all could ruin this mood. Her horn agreed, and sent a shower of sparks out of its end. She gasped, and shook her head, checking to make sure there hadn't been anypony around to witness that. It could have been quite embarrassing.

Her eyes darted back to the grimoire that lay open in front of her, returning to their focus: the research of magic itself. Now, as an honoured student of Princess Celestia, she had been over the idea of magic in the past, but... today, the actual _nature_ of magic seemed to pique her interest.

_'Magic has always been a part of the unicorn race, always been a part of our mindset and a part of our personal impetus to learn and to live. In fact, magic has become one of the most reliable and relied-on things by unicorns in all of Equestria. Magic stems from the heart, and from belief, and from pure emotion. Love, despondency, anger, pain, and joy are where the heart and home of magic truly lies.'_

The eloquence of this made Twilight shudder ever so slightly. She closed her eyes, letting still-retained phrases roll around in her mind. '...stems from the heart, and from belief, and from pure emotion...' '...love, despondency, anger, pain, and joy...' The beauty in language had once again revealed itself.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •

The pink mare awoke to the darkness, cool and crisp. She awoke slowly, but breathlessly; as though the dream had pressed the air from her lungs. There was little to think about as her drowsiness deteriorated. She'd been having these dreams, on and off, for a good four months now.

The dreams weren't... nightmares; they weren't particularly frightening. What _was_ truly frightening, though, was the perspective. These dreams of hers had always taken place from Twilight's perspective, and Pinkie experienced the same excitement towards literature and the same drawn-out thoughts that Twilight would have. Or that she assumed Twilight would have.

Bibliophilia wasn't high at all on Pinkie's entertainment list, and she had never been as thoughtful or intelligent as Twilight. She admired that about Twilight - her ability to actually grasp concepts, both abstract and realistic. Math, science, language, magic, psychology, theoretical physics - it was all contained in a mind the same size of Pinkie's.

But, although it may put off anypony else, Pinkie took comfort in the idea that another mare her age could amass so much knowledge and discernment. She'd tried her best in the past to be calm, nonchalant, focused, knowledgeable - but it had never worked out well for her.

Twilight was Pinkie's sturdy ground. Pinkie knew that somepony else could easily ignore her, or disown her, or, if they were as intelligent as Twilight, rub their knowledge in her face. But that seemed impossible for Twilight; she'd never been rude or insulting to Pinkie. It was just in her nature to be a kind soul. And Pinkie relied on that.

Pinkie leaned forward in her bed, stretching out so as to wake herself more. She always got up before the sun... it was just part of her character to be active all day round. And before that could happen, she had to stop being sleepy.

In the darkness of her room, the pink earth-pony debated with herself whether or not to wake up at all today. She had nothing to do anyways... she was off from work, she had no appointments set up, and it wasn't even enough of a holiday to throw a party.

She sighed, and laid across her bed on her stomach. Sleep no longer came easily to her; she wasn't tired anymore.

With a few groans, she slid herself out of the bed and landed unsteadily on her hooves, shaking her head back and forth to keep her mane out of her eyes. She walked slowly to the bathroom, her eyes half-lidded.

Pinkie knew she would think of something eventually, even if it was just walking around town. Maybe she could organize enough ponies to play a game of soccer or something (sports had always been one of Pinkie's few skills).

It was hard to wake herself up in the mornings... the temptation of sleep often overwhelmed her. But not today. After a few moment's consideration, she decided she could go over to Twilight's that afternoon. After all, not even Twilight could study all day, right? That means she had to have free time.

Pinkie was standing at the sink, trying with difficulty to curl the back of her mane - it straightened out overnight. Suddenly, an odd, confusing thought popped into the back of her mind. _Why am I thinking about Twilight so much?_

Just like every other strange thought to enter her head, she was prepared to laugh at it and shake it off, but... she couldn't. Not with this one. Because, as she thought about it, she began to realize it was true. She was hanging out with her more, trying to talk to her more, and she'd even begun dreaming about her.

Maybe she just liked being around her. No... it was more than that. She _loved_ being around Twilight; she loved doing everything with her. She loved her ideas, her wittiness, her skill at magic, her... voice, her eyes...

Pinkie shook her head again, trying to ignore it - but there wasn't much to ignore. Just one little thought in the back of her head.

The pink mare sighed and closed her eyes. She walked back over to her bed and sat down, pondering this new conjecture. Why did she have to realize this so early in the morning? If it were later in the day, she may have been able to understand it more easily, or be more comfortable with it, or at least handle it more adequately. But now, she felt disturbed and frightened by the idea.

Could she... how would she... so many thoughts and ideas flew into her head at that moment that she couldn't do much except attempt to clear her mind. How would she be able to work through this?

She sighed once more and fell back onto her bed. Thinking into the future wasn't one of her strong suits.

_I guess I'll just figure this whole thing out when I visit the library this afternoon,_ she thought, rolling over on the soft, still-warm bed. _For now, I'm just gonna relax and think._

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •

The pink mare left the townhouse smelling like cupcakes and carrying a full covered basket in her mouth. She hoped the cupcakes would make up for her not making plans in advance.

Able to retain her peppy demeanor even after that morning's events, Pinkie skipped cheerfully down the centre road of Ponyville. The tiled street was nice and warm because of the summer sun overhead, and even though all the shops were closed for the holidays, most of the other residents of Ponyville were out and about just because it was such a nice day.

The library wasn't too far from Pinkie's home (just a hop, skip, and jump), so she arrived at the heavy wooden door of the treehouse soon after she left. She knocked twice on the door, expecting Spike to answer as he always did.

However, Pinkie was greeted only by silence. Since it was, of course, a public library, the door was left slightly open. Pinkie nudged through the crack and walked slowly into the library.

Whenever Pinkie was in the library, which, granted, was not often, she felt comfortable, like she was at home. She assumed that Twilight kept the place neat, which was true (the library being something more), but now she began to wonder whether the feeling of comfort was something more than just the atmosphere.

Right then, though, Pinkie wasn't feeling comfortable at all. She hadn't felt comfortable the entire day, ever since that little thought went off in the back of her mind. But, as Pinkie Pie, she had instituted a name for herself, and would not stray from it. She had to give off an aura of comfort and joy, if only by sight.

The library was silent; but, of course, she was only in the lower level. She walked slowly up the mahogany flight of stairs, pausing to regain her self-control. If the idea she'd had that morning was correct, this visit may be difficult for her.

Twilight had been re-shelving books since Spike had left earlier for ink. The walnut ink had gone bad, and since they'd found it out, Twilight had looked through twelve instructional and informative books on ink, but still didn't really understand why or how. That dropped her morale slightly.

When she heard the door open, she didn't have the patience to turn her head around to greet the visitor; besides, she assumed it would be Spike.

"You're back early, Spike," Twilight said, still not looking at the visitor. "I thought it would take you l-" She turned. "Oh. Uh, hi, Pinkie."

"Heya, Twilight!" Pinkie said, dropping the basket. "I brought cupcakes!" she said triumphantly, motioning with her hoof to the wicker basket.

"That's great, Pinkie," Twilight replied in an almost-convincing voice. "Not to be rude, but, uh, what brings you around? What's, um, what's up?"

Pinkie smiled. "No reason! Just 'cause there wasn't anything else to do!"

Twilight smiled politely in return. "Well, as long as you're here, can you help me restock these books? I've been trying to organize them for the past few minutes."

"Sure!" Pinkie replied, and the pair set to work on the small pile of old books sitting in front of Twilight.

Pinkie tried to keep up chatter (and therefore keep up appearances), but it was rather difficult for her. She had let things slip in the past, with devastating results. She didn't want their relationship to end before it had even begun.

Eventually, though, the temptation got to Pinkie. After being near her friend for a rather long period of time, mainly spent in silence, she began to feel a rush in her head and her chest.

In the relative silence of the library, she could hear the unicorn's breathing, and she could hear her heartbeat. She could see her out of the corner of her eye, moving individual books to their places win her magic. Her body was lean, but not particularly thin; near perfection. Especially when you came to her mane... it was just so smooth-looking, so silky, and the color of midnight itself - while Pinkie's wasn't the color of anything natural. Not even roses could match the bright pink in her mane.

There was a profound respect for Twilight in Pinkie's heart, but there was also something more. There was something that Pinkie herself couldn't really describe.

"Twilight."

"Yeah, Pinkie?"

"... When's Spike gonna be back?"

"Maybe ten minutes, at the rate he's going. Why?"

Pinkie found it difficult to be around Twilight. There was such an emotion touching her by then that she became suddenly and frighteningly un-Pinkie.

"Oh. I - I have to go," Pinkie stuttered, making her way out of the room. "You can keep the basket -" she said before disappearing behind the light purple door of the library's second floor. Twilight cocked her head confusedly to the left, and shook her head. She'd seen enough of Pinkie to understand by now that she... just did stuff like that.

Once out of the room, Pinkie's stomach finally unclenched itself, but her heart rate was far from returning to normal. Why was she so nervous around her friend? _It just became too much,_ she thought painedly.

_Just too much._


	2. Part Two - Hardship

Pinkie trotted quickly down the street, feeling a slight burning sensation behind her eyes. Was it the breeze? Or was it her emotions getting the better of her?

Now, as a rule, Pinkie didn't... ever... become embarrassed. She'd done more embarrassing things than anypony would think, especially in school. She, along with almost everypony else, could still remember the self-infliction prank she'd pulled one afternoon. Arriving at school that one afternoon dressed very tomboyishly, she proceeded to flirt openly with all the mares.

She had been in her best mood that day, which accounted nicely for the unbelievably smooth performance she'd given. It was absolutely hilarious, at least to her and her accomplices. Of course, by the next day the rumors had begun.

For obvious and intentional reasons, everypony began to think Pinkie was a fillyfooler. It took her, literally, four and a half months to clear her name. But the baffling part of this little anecdote that she sometimes shared with her friends was the fact that she felt no shame during the entire thing.

It wasn't easy to understand why so many years ago. She'd seemed, at least to herself, to be... well... normal. After all, that was the way she was raised, and that was the way she raised herself. She taught herself subconsciously to have an affection towards colts; not once had she taken an interest in another mare.

Of course, every romance she'd ever had died quickly. Perhaps now she understood the reason why.

_I guess I couldn't see inside until now._

This thought surprised her. Her mind had never been able to conceptualize something so deep or profound before. In fact, it scared her... and embarrassed her more than the emotions she felt in the library had. There was such a swirling torrent of emotions built up in her head already - varying from pain to chagrin to frustration - that confusion and fear barely affected her at all.

Nonetheless, that swirling torrent still took its toll on Pinkie. Her hooves struck the tiled road quicker and quicker until she was nearly galloping to her apartment.

She passed a familiar orange earth-pony without stopping or even slowing down to acknowledge her. After seeing Pinkie rush by her apple stand in such a worrying state, Applejack had all the information she needed. One of her friends was upset. She quietly closed up the booth, leaving monetary business for the next day. Today, there was more important business to handle.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •

Tears were beginning to come to her eyes. She assumed it was just another mood swing, or that she was just being angry at herself for feeling such drastic feelings. That tended to affect her more often than one would think.

But, as she trotted quickly into the small white door of her apartment, she suddenly understood more things than she would have wished - which was, of course, too much to take in all at once. She walked numbly over to the small green couch near the door and sat down, feeling broken emotionally.

She laid down slowly on her side, suddenly upset with herself. It would have seemed impossible a while ago.

Or would it have? After all, she'd wondered the same thing that morning (with less direct phrasing, of course). But that one turning-point thought was enough to give Pinkie a sense of affirmation.

_I'm in love with Twilight Sparkle._

A dual emotion rose up in her chest, flushing her face and quickening her breath. She felt relieved, as though a weight was lifted from her chest, but... she also felt disturbed. There was a terrible, difficult question that felt like it was boring into her mind.

Why? It couldn't just be her personality... the characteristics Twilight had could have propelled them to be friends, but not much more. It was... something different.

Pinkie rolled over, her breath still shallow. Her mind had made a decision her emotions couldn't keep up with; it was more difficult than Pinkie had imagined anything to be before. Was it... her body?

No. That... that couldn't be it. It wasn't hard to say that Twilight was good-looking, because she _was_... and it's not an uncommon thing for friends to compliment one another's appearance. But what's difficult is a possibility of being _attracted_ to a close friend.

It had to be the feeling. Pinkie had relied on Twilight's grace and kindness since they met, and by now, Twilight seemed to give Pinkie a sense of calm, order, and understanding. It was almost like her friend... completed her. But still, there were so many questions. How? Why? When?

Pinkie's thoughts were not interrupted by the knocking on the door adjacent to her, nor by the entrance of a concerned-looking earth-pony. Applejack looked down at the curled-up pink mare on the couch beside her. Applejack could infer that whatever Pinkie had been through, it wasn't pleasant.

"You all right, sugar cube?" Applejack leaned down to Pinkie, speaking gently with a light country twang. Pinkie didn't respond. "What happened?" Applejack asked her friend, laying a hoof softly on her bright pink mane and sitting on the floor next to the couch, meeting her at eye level.

Pinkie opened her eyes slowly, as though awakening from a dream. They were a light red; she'd been through more than Applejack had thought. "I -" she stuttered, her throat still dry. "I - can't tell you. I can't tell anypony."

Applejack smiled. "Now, come on, sugar cube, ya know ya can tell me anythin'," she replied.

"I can't."

"Ya have to, sugar cube, or yer never gonna get any better."

Pinkie was grasped by a sudden impulse. She sat up, and, in one fluid motion, leaned forward and took Applejack by the back of her head, bringing her into a forceful kiss.

Applejack blushed and spluttered, pulling off Pinkie. "Jeez, Pinkie, what're ya tryin' ta do?" she cried, and reeled back a bit from the couch.

Meanwhile, Pinkie had stood and had begun to pace around the room, suddenly concentrating on an unclear thought. She was totally ignoring her friend, who had fallen backwards onto the hard wooden floor. Applejack stood from her position as well and stared at Pinkie, shocked and slightly frightened.

Pinkie was thinking everything over in her head, focusing mainly on the 'why'. Well, it obviously wasn't because she liked mares physically... It didn't feel much different from when she'd kissed a colt before. It had to be emotional, or at the very least psychological.

As Applejack walked quickly and shakily over to the door, a terrible thought dawned on Pinkie. _If I got all nervous and sad after ten minutes in the library with Twilight, how would I be around Twilight on a normal day?_

"Wait!" Pinkie called out to Applejack, who had just opened the door to excuse herself. "I need you for something!" Pinkie nearly shouted, rushing over to her and grabbing her shoulders.

Applejack stared briefly into Pinkie's eyes, and began pleading with her. "Wait, no, no, Pinkie, ah don't think ah could stand fer any more kissin', please don't do that again, Pinkie, 'cause ah'm not-"

"No, no, it's not like that or anything! I'll explain later. But I really, reeeeeally need your help!" Pinkie replied, looking back into Applejack's eyes with a pleading of her own.

The orange mare looked at Pinkie, then at the door, then back at Pinkie. But Applejack couldn't resist helping a friend in need, even if that friend happened to have just recently... um... snapped?

She sighed. "Ah... guess ah could help ya on... whatever it is. Ah mean, unless..."

"No, no, no," Pinkie repeated, bordering frustration. "I just need to talk to you. I... really do need to talk to somepony, and I can always trust you, Applejack."

The emotion that last sentence contained broke through Applejack's defenses. "Alright," the farmer replied, putting her hooves up in surrender. "How long is thi - no, ya know what? You can take as long as ya need to. Ah'm here for ya, sugar cube."

Pinkie smiled sadly at the orange mare, and looked over to the couch. "I hope this won't take too long, either."

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •

"I'm not sure how to begin. I... guess I should explain what happened earlier."

Applejack had looked concerned since she'd walked in the door, but her expression changed momentarily to gratitude and relief. "Well, ah'm glad you've got a reason, or else ah'd be worried fer ya." She laughed nervously. Pinkie remained crestfallen, discouraging any further comments from her friend.

"I, um, I guess... maybe I should start over," Pinkie continued unsurely. "This is gonna be hard to say. Uh..." She stopped, and dumps back in her seat, raising a hoof to the heavens. "Why is this so hard?!"

"Yeah, why're ya bein' so shy?" Applejack asked. "Usually, yer like... well, ya know, Pinkie. Yer usually jist such a happy pony all the time, ah was confused when ah saw ya upset." She sighed. "And that's why ah'm still here, ah guess."

"You don't get it."

"Yeah, 'cause ya ain't told me nothin' yet."

"It's hard!"

"Why?!"

"I think I'm in love with Twilight!"

Pinkie and Applejack gasped simultaneously, and Pinkie covered her mouth with her hooves. The moment had come far too soon... she was planning on easing Applejack into it. But... it slipped out. Just like it always did.

This was such a strong thought, Pinkie said it aloud. "Just like it always does," she said, sounding tired - almost depressed.

Applejack sat and stared in shock at her fellow earth-pony. "So, ah guess that explains the -"

"Yeah." Pinkie looked downwards, averting her friends' gaze. "I... just wanted to make - wanted to know whether I was..."

"A lesbian?"

"Don't say it like that!"

"Alright, alright. Calm yerself down."

Pinkie inhaled deeply. The house around them was totally silent, save the still-shallow breaths of Pinkie.

"Wh-" she began. "I mean... it hurts. You know?"

"No."

"Let me finish." Pinkie sighed again and covered her face with her hoof. "There's just a problem here. I don't- I've never thought of myself as..."

"A l-" Applejack stopped herself. "...likin' other mares?"

"Yeah." She stopped momentarily, still not looking up towards Applejack. "That's why... I wanted to make sure it..." She groaned again. "Why is this so hard?!" she cried once more.

"Well, maybe it's because ya don't think Twilight's gonna be a - like you - I mean, not like - you know."

"That's what I was gonna say next, though," Pinkie replied, finally looking back towards Applejack. "I was with Twilight in the library for a few minutes today."

Applejack looked up at Pinkie. "Ya mean ya... did ya say anything?"

"Almost." She shook her head, looking like she was about to burst into tears. "I just realized it this morning, and now it's - it's hard to be around - around her." Pinkie looked shattered, as though someone had just broken her heart.

"Pinkie, think! This is Twilight we're talkin' about!" Applejack was becoming more and more confounded by the minute. How? Why? Her head was filled with the same questions as Pinkie's.

"I know! That's why I need help." She swallowed. "That's why I need _your_ help."

Applejack looked up towards her friend, who appeared to be fighting a stressful battle with herself. She looked positively... well, broken is really the only way to describe it. The orange mare was dumbfounded. Pinkie was the Element of Laughter! How on Earth did she get herself in such a terrible state?

"I know I can rely on you, AJ. You're always so... truthful, and trusting -"

A trigger went off in Applejack's head. "Ah'm sorry, 'trusting'? Ah'm not the butt of another prank of yours, am ah? Like that one you did in school - hoo-ee! That killed yer reputation, didn't it!"

"No, Applejack, please listen! I'm being dead serious!" There was indeed a serious undertone to Pinkie's voice. Applejack snapped to attention; she felt regretful almost instantly. It didn't help anything when Pinkie began sobbing into her hooves.

"Pinkie, wait, ah'm sorry, I didn't mean-" Applejack stopped. She got up off the soft red chair and moved over to Pinkie's side, sitting next to her.

She sighed. "Ya have to know that ah'm always gonna be here fer ya. Always. Ah'm one-a yer best friends, ya know. It wouldn't be right for me to abandon one-a mah friends when they needed me."

Pinkie continued sobbing, but tried to the best of her ability to speak. "I... I-I don't know h-how or w-why and... it's just s-so frustrating!" she cried, leaning over more towards Applejack.

Applejack leaned back and patted Pinkie's head softly. "Ah know, sugar cube. If ya want me to... I could see if Twilight -"

"NO!" Pinkie nearly shouted, sitting up quickly. All the tears had left her for a moment. "Nopony can EVER know about this. This has to be a secret." She put her head down again, seeming depressed once more. "I don't know what I would do if anypony found out."

Applejack gulped. Trying to keep a secret had gotten her into all kinds of trouble in the past. Secrets went directly against her nature. She just hoped that nopony would ask her what she'd been doing all day... that wouldn't be good. Thankfully, there was a loophole in this.

"Why don't we... uh... do somethin' else for a while? Maybe take yer mind off a few things?" Applejack looked down at Pinkie: she was a mess. He hair was frizzy, she was flushed and her cheeks were wet, and her eyes were almost bloodshot.

Pinkie sat for a few seconds, then lifted her head. "You're right. I can't be focusing on this all day. I have to be... happy again." She giggled. "I'm starting to miss it."

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •

Three hours later, the pair finally finished their notes and ideas. The trash can was nearly overflowing with mistakes and failures, all to create the perfect apple dessert: a cupcake combined with an apple.

"Whew!" Applejack exclaimed, leaning onto the counter. "That was amazin', Pinkie! Ah never knew ya knew so much about bakin'!"

"Well, yeah, silly!" Pinkie smiled. Her peppy demeanor had returned, both in sight and mind. "Where do I work?"

"Oh, yeah."

They burst into laughter. There wasn't a particular reason (it really wasn't that funny), but it just felt good to laugh. Pinkie had essentially gone on a twelve-hour happiness fast, and it sure wasn't enjoyable.

The oven dinged, interrupting the mares' joy. Pinkie walked over and kicked open the door. "Well, here's our latest attempt," she said, turning to face it.

It was beautiful: the perfect mixture between the yellow of a vanilla cupcake and the maroon of a Red Delicious apple.

"Hey, lookit: it's got mah colors!" Applejack chuckled, pulling the tray out of the oven. It was true: the orange in the cupcake went very well with (if did not literally match) Applejack's ambery coat.

"Now, the final touch," Pinkie said, taking a sock of handmade icing from the counter and spreading it graciously over the pastry, covering every spot. Then, she got started on the decoration, working with admirable speed and grace, until the cupcake was topped with a near-perfect design.

"Woah, sugar cube," Applejack said in awe, "that's amazing."

"Yeah, I know," Pinkie smiled broadly. "I mean, I've been doing it for years now, I just had to get better sometime, right?"

Applejack grinned. Pinkie had returned to her (self-described) 'pep-tacular' state; her work was done. Other than that, Applejack had actually had a relatively nice time with Pinkie, not to mention that she learned (and helped create) a new dessert.

"Well, if ya don't mind, Pinkie, ah'm gonna take mah leave, and-"

"No, wait! Not before trying the cupcake!" Pinkie interrupted.

"Alright, okay. If you insist," Applejack replied jokingly. She walked over to the cupcake and looked down at it; it really was a beauty. Quite a shame to break apart.

_Ah, well._ The orange mare tore the small pastry cleanly into two, releasing a burst of apply fragrance into the air. Without looking twice at it, she took a good-sized bite.

"Holy... oh mah... Pinkie, come here an' try this. This is... oh... perfect!" Applejack smiled broadly, chewing slowly to savor the taste."This could really be a good thing fer yer business!"

"Well, if I ever start selling it, I'll give lots of credit to y- oh!" she said involuntarily, taking a bite of the cupcake. "This is... the best thing I've ever made before in my life ever and it could totally be - oh!" she said again, taking another bite.

"Why is this so good?"

"I don't know!"

The two burst again into raucous laughter, finishing off their halves of the cupcake in delight. After the bout of happiness finally wrapped up, Applejack made her way over to the door.

"Wait!"

Applejack turned again, to see Pinkie standing in front of her with her hoof out. In it was the recipe for their apple cupcake.

"You almost forgot this," she said. Applejack looked at the perky mare in front of her, and at the paper, before taking the recipe and tucking it into a corner of her hat.

Pinkie leaned in and wrapped her friend in a hug with her forelegs. Applejack returned it, grateful.

"Ya know what, ah actually had fun tonight. Ah'm glad ah decided to check on you." She dropped her voice. "Speakin' of, are you feeling alright?"

Pinkie nodded, and sighed softly. "I can bear with it. But... I don't think... that I should talk to anypony for a while. I mean, I'm still trying to understand myself, and I don't... want to screw anything up."

"Ah hear ya," Applejack replied. "Ya know ya can always come talk ta me; Ah've been in quite a few difficult romances mahself. Well, bye now!" The orange mare walked out into the night, leaving Pinkie a bit shaken by her last comment. She shook her head, pushing the thought out of her mind, and turned back inside to her apple-scented living room.

She was glad she'd had somepony to talk to, especially one that she knew wouldn't tell anypony else. Keeping a secret alone is difficult, but sharing it with friends helps with the burden.

But now, she'd have to deal with this confusing new revelation, and plan for the future. Maybe the possible relationship _wasn't_ hypothetical. It... _could_ work.

But how?


	3. Part Three - Avoidance

It had been a nice day all day; just like it had been the past week, not to mention most of Equestria's existence. But there was happiness in the air all over Ponyville, and everypony felt it - including Pinkie Pie.

She remembered the night before fondly; after all, it was one of the main causes of Pinkie's mood today. Today, the pink mare stepped out of her apartment door and took in the scent of morning with fresh vigor. She was ready to tackle the world.

Nonetheless, there was still a lot on her mind as she ambled aimlessly around the town. Even though today was basically a personal day for her, relaxation required concentration. There was little positive energy left in her after her thoughts a few nights ago.

However, the encouraging words of Applejack and the fun they had together the night before gave a hypothetical rebirth to Pinkie's mood; although it was currently undefined, it would definitely flesh itself out given enough time.

Like the morning before, she felt as though there was a lack of inspiration for her in Ponyville, along with an obvious dearth of entertainment. _But,_ she thought, _I'm not gonna go through yesterday morning again._ She shook her head a bit, moving the memories to the back of her mind. She hoped she would never have to experience that again, ever.

It being such a nice day and all, there were enough ponies out and about in Ponyville that the town could be considered 'busy', at least for the time being. But there seemed to be next to nothing to do at all today; nopony seemed like they were really out to accomplish anything.

Eventually, though, Pinkie came upon a semi-conscious decision: because she'd never enjoyed 'stay-at-home' days too much, and there wasn't anything else to do, she decided to go for the next best thing: a 'stay-at-somepony-else's-home' day. She decided to visit Fluttershy. After all, Rainbow Dash was probably napping somewhere in the clouds, Rarity was always busy on Friday, and there was no way she'd visit Twilight or Applejack. Not yet.

She smiled and began skipping cheerfully to the border of the Everfree Forest.

_It really is a nice day,_ she thought, trotting unhurriedly down the broad dirt road that led out of town. She realized why she was so peppy today; If it was _trying_ to make her feel better, then it was succeeding.

Finally, she came to the small cottage and farmyard, and walked up to the door, knocking in her own little pattern. It didn't take long for the light yellow pegasus to answer.

"Oh, good morning, Pinkie," she greeted her, smiling softly.

"Hi, Fluttershy!" Pinkie said, returning her smile. "There's nothing else to do today, so we should totally go out and do stuff!"

Fluttershy blinked, and shook her head slowly. "I'm sorry, Pinkie, but I already have company. Twilight just dropped over to share some good news."

"Oh... really?" Pinkie replied, failing spectacularly st sounding casual. Leaving now would be suspicious, but... she had to start setting her own boundaries. She knew by now that it could be difficult being near Twilight, and she couldn't afford to let anything slip right now.

"Well, I guess I'll just come back later, 'cause, I mean, you're already doing stuff, and..."

"No, it's alright. Come on in, I'm sure she'll want to tell you, too," Fluttershy said politely.

"... Okay."

Fluttershy had always had a gut instinct; a sixth sense, if you will. She could see outright that something was bothering Pinkie, but at the moment, she couldn't imagine what. She stepped aside and let the pink mare enter, showing no evidence of her concern.

Pinkie walked slowly into Fluttershy's living room, glancing nervously at the purple unicorn reclining on a couch facing the fireplace.

"Hi, Pinkie!" Twilight said excitedly. "Guess what, guess what, guess what?!"

"Um... what?" Pinkie replied. Twilight was acting different - something really extraordinary must have happened.

"I'm taking an exam!" Twilight said, smiling broadly. _Only Twilight would be so cheerful about a test,_ Pinkie thought. _I like it._ She blinked quickly and sternly chastised herself. She shouldn't think stupid things like that; at least, not here.

Pinkie was genuinely happy for her friend, just because she seemed so passionate about it. "That's... um... great!" she responded. "But... what for?".

"Why, Pinkie. 'What for' isn't correct grammar." She stopped herself and chuckled. "Sorry. Anyway, I'm taking one of Princess Celestia's progress examinations! I'll be gone for two days starting tomorrow, and I can't wait to meet up with the princess and show her what I know! I know she'll be so proud..."

Fluttershy had quietly let herself into the room without arousing anypony's awareness. She studied Pinkie's actions around Twilight carefully and curiously; although she appeared to be acting like herself (talking at high speeds, bouncing around, etcetera), there was something else in her mood that showed ever so slightly.

After about ten minutes' worth of conversation, Pinkie's attitude began to change drastically. She began to lose her grasp on playfulness and vigor, as though she was losing energy - or willpower.

Far into the conversation, Pinkie finally began to excuse herself. "Um, I probably should get back to the bakery, 'cause I think I might have to do stuff. I don't know. I just... I should leave. Uh... bye, Twilight." She stood without waiting for a response and walked towards the door, forcing herself not to look back.

Fluttershy silently followed Pinkie out the door, floating so that she wouldn't be heard. Twilight was left ratherconfused in Fluttershy's living room, alone. She looked to her right and left, as though expecting somepony to just walk into the living room, and sighed, lying down more comfortably on the couch. Fluttershy wouldn't take long.

"Pinkie," Fluttershy said softly, causing the pink mare to gasp in surprise.

"Oh, um... hi, Fluttershy," Pinkie replied.

"Pinkie, I get it."

"Get what?" Pinkie turned to face Fluttershy, who was still hovering slightly above the ground. "What is there to get? How do you think- I mean, what do you think you get? Wh-"

"Pinkie, stop." Pinkie silenced herself mid-sentence. "I understand. Just hear me out." She sighed, and touched down right in front of Pinkie. "We should get off the road. I just wanna ask you something." Fluttershy walked into the woods to her left, trusting the curiosity of Pinkie to goad her to follow.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •

Pinkie and Fluttershy arrived by a still lake, which was glittering beautifully in the light of midday. Although all of nature surrounding them was lively and vibrant, Pinkie felt almost hollow inside, with a sinking feeling deep in her chest. Fluttershy sat down beside the lake, motioning for Pinkie to sit beside her.

Pinkie hesitated, and nearly turned away, before lying down adjacent her friend, watching the glimmering lake silently. She half-hoped that this wasn't what she assumed, and half-hoped that it was.

Fluttershy looked intently at the ground, as though embarrassed herself. Without looking up to meet Pinkie's gaze "I can see things that other ponies can't," she began. "I always could. I guess it's just a skill. Anyways, I could notice something different about you today. I finally pieced it together when you were about to leave."

Pinkie remained stoic, and Fluttershy continued rather awkwardly. "Um, I, uh, don't want to assume anything, so I'll just ask." She stopped briefly, wondering how to begin. "Are... are you in love with Twilight?"

Pinkie felt her face begin to burn; she never thought Fluttershy was capable of being so blunt. She felt compelled to shake her head, but Fluttershy had a voice that always seemed to coerce her into telling the truth. It was difficult nonetheless. "I... yeah," she said quietly, blushing as she looked away from Fluttershy.

"Don't be embarrassed - I'm not going to tell anypony," Fluttershy assured her. "I just wanted to know. If it's any consolation, I... happen to be... that way myself."

Pinkie looked with mild surprise at Fluttershy, who hadn't moved her eyes from the ground beneath her. "So, you mean, you're a... uh..."

"Yeah. I - I am. I don't usually tell anypony this, because I'm afraid they'll make fun of me. Or worse. Actually, I've never told anypony before; you're the first one." Fluttershy sighed and finally decided to look at Pinkie, who'd been staring at her since she confessed. "I'll keep your secret if you keep mine."

"But I'm -I'm not - I'm not like that," Pinkie stuttered. "I just... have a bit of a, um, crush on Twilight. That's it. I don't like to talk about it. Maybe it's only Twilight, or maybe I'm... um... both. I mean, I like - you know what I mean."

"... have you told anypony else?"

"Yeah, AJ. But she said she would keep it a secret. I'm wondering now if I made the wrong decision. I mean, she _is_ the Element of Honesty."

They sat in silence, overlooking the lake while they both considered the impact of what they'd just heard.

"Um, Fluttershy?" Pinkie asked. Hearing no response, she continued. "Have... you ever had a crush on one of your friends? Like, on one of us?"

Fluttershy was silent for a few seconds. "Yes," she replied quietly. "I think that's how I figured it out for myself: I started to fall for Rainbow Dash ever since she stood up for me when I was a filly. It... didn't feel normal for a while, but eventually, I started to understand myself. I'm not sure whether I'll ever tell her, though."

"... I understand."

They sat together quietly for a while, just enjoying each other's company and looking out over the lake. Without any warning whatsoever, Fluttershy leaned over and kissed Pinkie.

Pinkie gasped, taken totally by surprise. But she didn't pull away. She thought for a second, feeling it, testing herself as to whether this was she was inclined to. She broke off soon, and closed her eyes. It still didn't feel any different than a colt... maybe softer. But that might have just been Fluttershy.

Fluttershy was flushed a deep red, and turned her head away from Pinkie. Pinkie could see her eyes water, and could have sworn she saw her shiver, before her wings extended and she stood shakily, ready for a quick, shameful escape.

"No, wait, Fluttershy!" Pinkie cried, standing just as quickly and catching Fluttershy off-guard. "Don't feel bad. I hate bad feelings." Fluttershy whimpered, and Pinkie tried to smile encouragingly. "You helped me. Something just clicked." Fluttershy almost smiled as Pinkie added, "Thanks."

Fluttershy was still flushed red, and her ears were down. She looked almost like she was about to cry. "I don't know why I did that, though. Please don't think any less of me, it was just a spur-of-the-moment thing, I didn't really mean to -"

"Fluttershy, calm down. You're still the same nice old Fluttershy to me, no matter how weird that was. And it was pretty weird." At this, Fluttershy blushed deeper, if it was possible by that point. "But you helped me realize that it's just -"

"Twilight?" Fluttershy seemed rather upset.

"Well, yeah, I think it's j-"

"Uh, hey, guys," Twilight said, making the hairs on the back of Pinkie's neck stand on end. "Whatcha doing?"

"Twilight!" Pinkie nearly shouted, and inhaled rather deeply as though she was about to try to 'explain' everything. Fluttershy noticed this, and quickly took corrective action.

"She just walked in," Fluttershy whispered softly but clearly to Pinkie, who stopped her train of thought before it could form itself fully. That would have ruined quite a lot in the grand scheme of things.

"We were just admiring the lake," Fluttershy told Twilight quickly, "but Pinkie still needs to get back to the Cakes, right?" She nudged Pinkie. "Right?"

"Yeah! I gotta - I mean, I have to leave, and - yeah. Bye, Fluttershy! And - uh - Twilight," she finished lamely, before trotting quickly onto the dirt path leading back to town.

Both Twilight and Fluttershy stood and watched her vanish onto the wavering dirt path, the sun creating mirages in Pinkie's place. Twilight then shook her head and walked over to Fluttershy, standing beside her and looking out across the lake.

"Do you have any idea why everypony's been acting so strange lately?" she asked. "Pinkie seems to be avoiding me, Applejack tries not to talk to me, you ditch me; seriously, what's going on?"

Fluttershy smiled knowingly and shook her head. "I have no idea."

Twilight snorted. She wasn't stupid; she knew when one of her friends was lying (especially Fluttershy, she was terrible at it). She stood slowly. "Well, I should go pack. I leave for Canterlot in the morning. Wish me luck," she added, smiling.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •

Twilight returned from her short sojourn in Canterlot in the quiet and peace of the night. Two days of mental examinations certainly did take an effect on even the most intelligent of ponies.

Now, knowing Twilight, anypony may have made the assumption that she would be, at this point, anxious, tense, stressed, nervous, or all of the above. But in reality, undertaking such a strenuous task gave Twilight a feeling of release and of freedom, as though her work was done, and there was no way to know what the future could hold.

_And in the immortal words of Leonus Greyscale, 'What fool worries of the unknown?'_ Twilight thought to herself, smiling as she stowed her still-full luggage neatly under her bed for the night, before turning and lying in it, exhausted.

Elsewhere in Ponyville, there was another mare lying in bed, albeit far from exhausted. She never got much sleep anyways, but during these last few nights, her thoughts made it less and less accessible.

Each night was filled with thought - thought of the future, of relationships, and of her own personal psyche. All of these thoughts could easily have been summed up by one short phrase: _Should I, how, and will I be able to?_

Pinkie had tried so hard not to think about anything, and on more than one occasion, she was successful in pushing romantic and difficult thoughts out of her mind. But they always drifted back, against Pinkie's considerable will. It was almost as though her brain was begging her to listen to it.

So she did.

By the time 2 AM rolled around, Pinkie had finally made a conscious decision. She was going to do her best to tell Twilight the next time they were alone; she didn't want her friends making a scene. Of course, she didn't want Twilight making a scene either, but she was powerless towards that. She wondered how she could possibly tell Twilight anything she'd been thinking about.

Sleep wasn't important. Not anymore.

Pinkie had found herself having... strange longings, all of which having to do with Twilight. There was a part of her that just wanted to touch Twilight, to just feel her warmth against her own body. She'd begun thinking and dreaming of things that made her chest tingle, that nearly bordered on the perverted: she would have such a desire for Twilight's neck, or ears, or lips...

Somewhere along the line, Pinkie began sobbing quietly into the night. What on earth was wrong with her? Twilight Sparkle was probably Pinkie's best friend... not to mention another mare! At this, Pinkie began biting into her pillow. Hard. She just wanted to stop thinking such weird things. That was all she wanted.

She had no idea what the feelings were really expressing. True love is something that comes only once in a few centuries - and tragically, it is commonly left unrequited. Especially in this kind of situation.

By this point, Pinkie had already been recessing from her friends and social life. When Twilight left, though, she assumed the problem would lessen: out of sight, out of mind. In reality, it was quite the contrary; her social life suffered even more without the presence of Twilight. Parties became less and less frequent, she stopped picnicking or shopping with anypony, and at times she even avoided her friends on the street. And it had only been two days.

Tonight was a night of thought, and only thought could provide Pinkie any comfort.

Pinkie sighed, and shuddered. She was beginning to calm down, if only slightly. This was important to her; she just wanted it to stop. She'd already told one pony, and Fluttershy figured it out by herself. It would only be a matter of time before _all_ her friends knew, and before Twilight herself figured it out.

It really was a relief to know that a friend was going through the same thing she was; but should she keep talking to Fluttershy about it? She didn't seem really shy about it... strangely enough. Maybe she would get advice from AJ and Fluttershy tomorrow. After work.

She felt as though if she didn't tell Twilight directly, if Twilight confronted her, that she wouldn't be able to bear it. She wouldn't be able to bear anything. She knew what she would have to do - and the sooner the better.


	4. Part Four - Confessions

"But, but Applejack, I'm not..."

Pinkie was standing shakily in front of Applejack, surrounded by thousands of apple trees. Pinkie had decided earlier to gather advice from everypony who could help, and Sweet Apple Acres was closest to her apartment. She'd been talking everything over with Applejack for the past half an hour.

She shifted her view to the ground beneath her. "I'm not really that brave."

"What are ya talkin' about, Pinkie?" Applejack nearly laughed. She was leaning against one of the numerous apple trees surrounding them, facing Pinkie. "Ah've always known ya to be outright. As far as ah can remember, ya haven't been shy or kept a secret before. Why would ya start when it counted?"

"Because this really matters to me! This is... really important to me." She paced a little bit, forwards and backwards, trying to configure her words before she said anything stupid. "It would be hard for me to just come out and say it. I'd make myself look like an idiot. Like I always do."

"Even if there's so much ridin' on this, it doesn't mean ya can't take a chance. It takes a gamble to win the pot. That's what mah daddy always told me, and it works just as well in this situation."

"I'm still not sure whether I can just say it like that. What if I mess up?"

Applejack sighed, and walked towards the still-pacing pink mare. "Ah don't think that the way ya say it'll make much of a difference, Pinkie," she said, placing a hoof on her friend's shoulder. "If it'll work out, it'll work out. If it ain't, it ain't. And I doubt Twilight'll hate ya fer anything; but ya just gotta trust in fate."

Pinkie shook her head, and bit her bottom lip again. She could now clearly see the obstacle that she was meant to scale, looming over her like the mountain of the dragon that had almost ruined the lives of those in Ponyville below with its terrible, pungent smoke. It wouldn't just be difficult to admit her feelings; the fear of rejection would keep her in a horrible state of mind.

Suddenly, she wasn't sure whether she was up to it. "Maybe I'll tell her later," she thought aloud.

Applejack was quick to remedy this. "No, no, no, ya should definitely do it today. Puttin' it off'll make doin' it harder and harder until ya'll just give up. Ya can't give up, Pinkie... ya already told me how deep yer feelin's went. Ya gotta do this."

Pinkie let the impact of what Applejack said sink in slowly, before she nodded twice. "You're right. I need to do this. But," she added, "I should ask Fluttershy what to do first. I think she could help."

"Fluttershy knows?"

"Yeah."

"...Is she okay with it?"

Pinkie didn't want to reveal anything about Fluttershy before she had the chance to announce it. "Yeah, she's fine with it."

At this, Pinkie thanked Applejack for her help quietly and made her way to the front of the farm. Next stop - Fluttershy's.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •

"Fluttershy?"

The mention of her name made the light yellow pegasus stop pacing. The voice was recognizably Pinkie's. Fluttershy stood for a second, facing the door, head cocked, and took two steps towards it.

"Fluttershy?" Pinkie called for a second time, and knocked twice. She needed desperately to speak to Fluttershy; she'd almost made her decision, but she felt as though Fluttershy would give her the most helpful advice. "Are you there?"

Fluttershy nodded, then, realizing a door was separating them both, called out, "It's open." She continued her nervous pacing, returning to the little circle she'd mentally mapped out on the kitchen floor.

Pinkie quietly entered the house, not interrupting Fluttershy's concentration. As Pinkie watched, Fluttershy stopped, looked to the ceiling, and looked to Pinkie, muttering something anxiously under her breath. She blinked a few times, not tearing her gaze from Pinkie, and shook her head a bit to clear her thoughts.

She smiled warmly, her mood changing as though she'd just come out if a trance. "Hello, Pinkie, I'm so glad you're here. I wanted to talk to you about something. Oh," she said, realizing how rude she'd been. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to be so blunt. How are you?"

"I'm okay... I guess. I wanted to talk to you about something, too. Can we -" she said, motioning to the living room.

"Oh, yes, of course," Fluttershy replied. "Go on ahead; um, would you like anything to drink? I mean, I have lemonade, iced tea, wh-"

"No, I'm fine. I hope I won't take long." Pinkie had already been rather worried about Fluttershy since she saw her pacing, but now that she was so uncharacteristically talkative, she decided that it would be best to leave her to whatever she was doing.

"So," Fluttershy said, sitting down on the soft white couch in the living room, "you go first."

Pinkie sat across from her friend in a comfortable yellow armchair. She no longer felt any aversion to speaking openly to Fluttershy; she merely focused herself and began. "Fluttershy, I'm thinking about telling Twilight."

Fluttershy gasped. "What?" Pinkie asked. "What's wrong? Should I not?"

"No, no, no," Fluttershy assured her. "Nothing's wrong with it. I was just... surprised." Seeing no reaction from Pinkie, Fluttershy continued. "I'm thinking of... telling Rainbow Dash."

Pinkie suddenly felt guilty inside. She felt as though she caused Fluttershy to want to reveal _her_ secret. This would have been great in another context - they could reveal their secrets together; but this made Pinkie feel guilty (and, truthfully, nauseous) because she was almost certain that Dash wasn't a - was - that she wasn't like them.

Pinkie couldn't bear to stand by and let Fluttershy get hurt, especially by somepony she obviously cared for. But she had no idea how to tell Fluttershy. She assumed it wouldn't happen to her; after all, Twilight had never even begun to reveal her sexuality to anypony. However, by this point, anything could happen.

"Fluttershy," Pinkie said, "are you sure you want Rainbow Dash to know so soon?"

"Soon?" Fluttershy asked. "We've known each other for years." She blushed. "I've always considered her... you know; I mean... um..."

"B-but I'm not sure whether -" Pinkie stopped herself. She looked up at Fluttershy. "Well, what if... we found out together?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm sorry, I don't mean, like, we tell them _together_, I mean we do it at the same time and meet up afterwards." She bit her bottom lip for a second or two. "For better or for worse."

Fluttershy thought for a second. "If..." she began, and stopped for a moment, thinking out what she would say. "If something goes wrong, what do you think'll happen?" Fluttershy had lost her abnormal pep, and had reverted to speaking in a near-whisper.

Pinkie looked up at Fluttershy, with a terribly serious demeanor. "I don't know, Fluttershy." She turned away. "I love her. I don't know what I would do if anything went bad." A few tears rolled down her cheeks, alarming Fluttershy slightly. "What if she'll hate me?"

Fluttershy leaned over and hugged her friend. "I don't know how she'll respond to anything, but if there's anything I know about Twilight, it's that she'll never disown one of her friends." Pinkie hugged back, her sudden emotions dying down.

Pinkie stood and approached Fluttershy, sitting next to her. The two sat in silence for a minute or two, each remembering that short time a few days ago, each feeling almost the same way.

"Fluttershy?"

"Yes?"

"I've been wanting to ask this for a while, but I didn't know how, 'cause I didn't want to insult you. Will you please not be insulted?" Fluttershy nodded slowly, and Pinkie continued. "Is your crush on Rainbow Dash, like, um... what's a good word for it?"

"... physical?"

"Yeah."

Fluttershy flushed a light red. "I'm not really sure. I didn't start _thinking_ about that type of thing until a while after I understood it. I didn't consider it being a reason until I started thinking about it... what I think is that it's mainly emotional, but... there's something."

Pinkie remembered when that started happening for her. "That happened to me, too, actually," she said, rather surprised. A sudden thought made Pinkie remember why she was there. "How are we gonna tell them?"

Fluttershy sighed. "I don't know. I was confused at first when I realized you were... like me. I thought I was the only one in Ponyville, if not Equestria." She was visibly upset now. "I never thought it was meant to be, but you gave me some hope that maybe Dash was a... was like me, too."

Pinkie still felt uncomfortable about the possibility of Fluttershy being hurt. But, it would help if they confessed at the same time; they would remember throughout the entire ordeal their friend, who was going through the same thing.

Pinkie stood, staring out the bay window in front of them. "Why don't we do it now?"

Fluttershy looked up at Pinkie, and shook her head nervously. "I wouldn't know how."

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •

It had been almost ten minutes after Pinkie arrived at the library door. She'd taken a few extra minutes rehearsing in her head before she actually went ahead with it. The plan was... well, it wasn't as fleshed out as she would've liked. She decided that she would just try her best. Applejack had been right; if it'll work out, it'll work out.

Collecting herself, she opened the door slowly and took a few steps into the library. She looked to her left and right, as though expecting somepony to come out to meet her.

Hearing nothing, though, she stepped further into the room. "Twilight?" she called out, half-hoping that she wasn't there so she would be granted another day of planning.

"Pinkie?" Twilight responded from the second floor. "I'll be right down, gimme a second!"

Pinkie sighed. Twilight was home, and she realized every possible scenario that she'd come up with could happen. Today. She steeled herself, drawing a deep breath. She knew it would have to happen eventually, and by then it was now or never.

The door at the top of the stairs opened, and Twilight skipped rather quickly down the stairs. "Hi, Pinkie! I've been meaning to talk to you."

"Yeah, I kinda need to talk to you, too." Twilight could tell easily that something was bothering Pinkie, but she had no idea what it could be; she decided not to bring it up.

She walked towards Pinkie a bit. "You know, I've been wondering about something."

There was a tension in the silence of the library. Pinkie's pulse began to quicken, and she grew more and more nervous. "Wondering?" she asked as nonchalantly as she could muster.

"Well, you kinda seem like you're avoiding me. What did I do wrong?" Twilight stopped walking towards Pinkie and turned to walk towards the bookshelf.

"What did - what?" Pinkie said in return, genuinely confused.

"Look. I've been reading up on what you've been doing, and everything points to one thing..."

Pinkie swallowed. "One - one thing?"

"Yeah... a loss in friendship." She pulled a book down from the shelf, its gold-emblazoned title reading 'Basic Pony Psychology: Interpersonal Relationships'. She flipped it open and levitated it over to Pinkie. "What did I do wrong?"

"A loss in -" Pinkie was obviously relieved, but she couldn't help but feel uncomfortable that she'd upset Twilight so much. She pushed the book away with her muzzle; now would be as good of a time as ever. "No, wait, Twilight, I didn't - you didn't do anything wrong."

"But, but, see, you're quieter around me, and you're avoiding me, and you talk to me less, and..."

"Twilight, wait. Stop." Twilight quickly became silent. "I... oh, geez, this is gonna be hard to say. Twilight..." She turned her head away from Twilight and blushed deeply. "Twilight, I - rrgh." She stomped her hoof, now a shade of maroon.

"You what?"

"Gimme a second!" She sighed again, and glanced briefly into Twilight's eyes. She squeaked awkwardly, like Fluttershy may have - oh. She remembered the conversation she and Fluttershy had had that afternoon. She concentrated on her friend, who was somewhere out there right now experiencing exactly what she was. If Fluttershy could, she could.

"Twilight, I think I love you."

Twilight took no time at all to respond. "Well, I love you too, Pinkie; I mean, we _are_ best friends, after all -"

"No, no, no, no, wait! Please, listen to me! It's... not that. I think I'm _in_ love with you."

Twilight opened her mouth as though to speak, but her tongue refused to form words. She stood stock-still, staring at Pinkie, who was still looking at the ground, turned away from her.

"Wait a second..." Twilight grinned. "Is this like that one prank that you said you played in school with the -"

_Oh Celestia, it's happening again. I should never have done that._ "Twilight..." she interrupted, softly but firmly. "I think I'm in love with you."

Twilight blushed almost as hard as Pinkie had, if not harder. Pinkie was staring at her dead in the eyes, no expression on her face. There was no way Pinkie was lying to her. Twilight found it rather hard to breathe; one of her best friends just admitted an actual _attraction_. To _her_. It was strangely flattering, but it was also really uncomfortable.

"Pinkie, nopony's ever said they... _loved_ me before," Twilight said shyly. "Especially not my friend... especially not a _mare_. I didn't even know..."

"Neither did I. But it wasn't long ago when I realized it was... you. It really is only you. I dated colts in school, and even kinda recently, but nothing's ever worked out." She had locked her gaze on Twilight, not turning away from her since. "Now I realize why."

"I don't think I'm a lesbian, though, Pinkie," Twilight said, still slightly shying away from the pink mare. This was a terribly strange concept to her; she'd just recently been introduced to friendship, and hadn't had any _other_relationships. She had no idea how to respond.

Pinkie smiled to the best of her ability. "Can you give me a chance?" She held out her hoof to Twilight.

Twilight gasped a bit, still flushed red. Embarrassment and confusion swirled around hazily in her mind, filling her to the brim with questions.

Light footsteps echoed throughout the now dead-silent library. Twilight gasped again, this time along with Pinkie, as her reptilian assistant walked through the doorway from the den, carrying a glass of chocolate milk. He seemed totally oblivious to the drama taking place in the room.

He walked between the pair, to their total shock. "Hey, Twi. Hi, Pinkie," he said, continuing on his way to the kitchen.

Twilight stopped him with a hoof. "Hey, Spike," she began, noticing with worry that her voice cracked. "Can you run out and pick up some ice cream for dessert tonight?"

Spike turned around, confused. "You don't keep ice cream in the house anymore. You said it melted too fast and it wasn't safe -"

"We can eat it all tonight. That way it won't melt."

Spike's eyes narrowed, and the silence in the library was overpowering. "...Alrighty then," he said, finished his milk, and walked out the door, throwing a suspicious glance behind him.

Both mares watched Spike leave, and when the door shut, Twilight sighed in relief. She turned back to Pinkie, and laughed nervously.

She sighed again, her blush returning as she was pushed back into the awkward situation. "H-How? Why me?"

"I guess... I just admire you. I don't know how you can be so nice and accepting when I'm acting like... well, like Pinkie Pie. I love the way you always find time to spend with each of your friends, including me." She could feel an embarrassed tickle in her chest. "I don't feel good about avoiding you, but I didn't wanna let anything slip out before I could tell you."

"But you've been avoiding me for almost two weeks..."

"...Yeah."

Twilight didn't know how to respond to any of this. Yes, she _liked_ Pinkie, but she never liked her any more than any of her other friends. But she could see the hope and innocence in Pinkie's eyes; she was torn between keeping a friendship intact and advancing it.

"Pinkie, I... I have to say no."

Pinkie blinked a few times and put her hoof down. Her mouth suddenly went dry.

"It's not you, Pinkie, really; I know it's a cliche but it's not you at all. I just don't think I'm ready for anything like that... I mean, I haven't even figured anything out about myself yet." She sighed. "I don't want to ruin what we already have with something so tentative. That's why I hope you can forgive me. Can we stay friends?"

Pinkie's eyes began to burn, but no tears came to them. That was fine with her; she'd rather not have let Twilight see her cry. However, she did have one feeling she couldn't explain to herself.

She felt completely calm. She didn't feel as upset about it as she would've thought. In fact, she looked back up to Twilight, and nodded. "I understand."

"You... what?"

"I do. I get it. I'll just... we'll just pretend that this didn't happen. It would help everypony, including me. We should just forget about it."

"That's... great! Um... I mean, I thought you would've been more broken up. I'm glad to see that I didn't hurt you. You know that I wouldn't ever have tried to do that." She smiled sadly and held out her hoof. "Friends?"

Pinkie smiled back, and took her hoof. "Friends."

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •

The sun was starting to set as she left the library silently. She didn't look back. A brilliant purple glow was cast over the clouds above and the ground below as Princess Luna began the night.

Pinkie walked slowly, as she had been the past week. She felt no hurry to go anywhere the past week; she didn't really have a schedule. Everything was focused on Twilight. But now that that was over, she had enough time to get back to her usual schedule.

Over.

This final, ending word gave Pinkie a sense of sadness over the death of a first real romance, but a sense of renewal in that it was finished. Her life was now open to so much more now that the abnormal drama was over.

She hadn't forgotten the plan she'd made with Fluttershy; she made her way to the corner cafe where they planned to meet. She saw her friend sitting at one of the tables alone, with a small smoothie she'd ordered beforehand.

"Hi, Fluttershy!" Pinkie called cheerfully, and skipped over to give her friend a hug. "How'd it go for you? You tell me first."

"Hi, Pinkie." Fluttershy seemed relatively normal; maybe not as talkative as that afternoon, but nonetheless normal.

Pinkie took a seat across from Fluttershy. "So?" she prodded. "How'd it go?"

"I-I-I failed," she stuttered lowly. She was totally stoic, without any hint of emotion, and was staring intently at the ground. "It took me almost half an hour to asks her. And w-w-when I did, she almost shouted at me and said that she wasn't a lesbian. We were alone, I doubt she'd do that in public, but it still scared me."

Pinkie became grave and concerned for her friend immediately. She moved over next to Fluttershy, putting her hoof over her as she began sobbing quietly.

"I don't believe that Rainbow Dash would do that," Pinkie said softly to her friend.

"She said she was sorry," Fluttershy said quietly, her cheeks still wet with tears, "and I could tell she meant it. And she seemed exasperated. And then she hugged me. But it - it s-still hurt."

"I guess I messed up too," Pinkie said sadly. "She said no. Fate just didn't... didn't want us to be together," she said to nopony in particular, tears beginning to fall down her face. She held Fluttershy's head to her chest, and the two of them sat together in their own personal disappointment for a while. By the time no more tears would come to them, it'd already become dark.

Nonetheless, they sat in each other's company at the cafe table for quite a while. They gave enough comfort to each other to lessen their pain, and they took solace in one another. They relied on each other.

Pinkie felt more than she'd thought; the death of a first real romance would've been enough to shatter her, if it hadn't have been for Fluttershy. By now, the two were practically inseparable. When each finally decided to go home, Pinkie finally understood that Twilight _wasn't_ a lost cause; it _wasn't_ over; and there _was_ still enough love for her in Pinkie's heart for her to persevere.

Although it was cliched, Pinkie knew that she still had a place for Twilight in her heart. It wouldn't be impossible, for her or for Fluttershy; love always comes around in the end. But she would have to wait...


	5. Part Five - Vacation

**Act II**

_You're going to wear a groove in the floor,_ Twilight thought offhandedly to herself. She'd been pacing erratically around the room for almost an hour now; ever since she'd woken up, she'd had a strange feeling in her chest.

She sighed and sat down on the edge of her bed, too distracted to notice the exhaustion that had already begun setting in. By then, she'd understood the reason she felt this way; she wasn't comfortable with Pinkie's confession. There was a lot wrong with it to begin with, like the fact her best friend thought that way about her in the first place, but there were hidden oddities, things that seemed to awaken in Twilight during their conversation.

Pinkie had been so open to Twilight, which was relatively normal; but she also said she'd hidden it for two weeks. To hold on to that kind of thing had to indicate something really deep. The way Pinkie talked to her, the position she'd put herself in, and the total stoicism she'd had towards the end of the meeting gave Twilight a strangely empathetic feeling.

There was something else, too; a difficult question that popped up recently because of it. Twilight hadn't ever even tried to figure out her sexuality; what if she _was_ a... fillyfooler? In which case, what else could that insinuate in her and Pinkie's relationship? What had she done?

She bit her lip, concentrating. There was no other solution she could see that was possible with the means she had.

Test and research.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •

Even before Rarity had diagnosed her as a 'summer' type, Pinkie had always enjoyed summer. The first day of summer was today, and, as it was still so early in the morning, she was able to watch the first sun of summer rise. The window right at the foot of her bed was enough; it was pointed to the East, and it was just tall enough to allow her to glance over the top of the trees to the beautiful orange that heralded the coming of the sun.

Pinkie closed her eyes and inhaled. The air smelled like flowers, and dew, and good old-fashioned dirt. Yup. Today would be the best day of her life.

Maybe.

She trotted energetically out the door, feeling a huge spurt of energy. The sun had barely risen - nopony was up yet. That was okay with Pinkie, of course; walking alone through Ponyville in the morning always gave her a feeling of security, a feeling of calmness.

Today, she actually had plans; she'd been invited last month to attend her cousin Tulip's birthday party. She'd picked out the perfect gift last February... she'd been preparing for quite a while.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" she said to herself, and turned to trot back into her apartment. Seeing the saddlebag already prepared on the sofa, she snatched it up with her mouth and bounced again out the door, now smiling broadly. She'd get to see her cousin again after almost, like, a year, she'd get to see the look on her face when she gave her her perfect present, and to top it all off, it was a great day.

But there were still a few things bothering her; before she took the train out to Saddlesburg, she wanted to check on Fluttershy. Her friend had left for home in a terrible condition. In truth, it rather frightened Pinkie, knowing that somepony who went through exactly what she did was so much more shaken up than her.

She'd had more than a few concerns abut Fluttershy. It wasn't just the fact that she seemed so broken-hearted; it was a moment of catharsis - a recognition that Fluttershy and her may, in fact, be the only two le - urgh. The only two... of their kind... in Ponyville. Maybe in Equestria, for that matter.

How could she visit her before the train left, though? She was pretty sure that the first one left at eight, and it took her about half an hour to walk across town to the station. Fluttershy's cottage was in the other direction; there just wasn't any way. Well, she'd be back at around noon tomorrow; maybe she'd be able to talk to her then. She probably needed some alone time anyway.

A few memories crept slowly back into her mind as she was walking to the station. Other ponies began leaving their homes for the day, often calling 'good morning' to Pinkie, who responded as well as she could. There were memories of a mixture of pain and relief, memories of empathy for her friend, and memories of a comfort felt from the time she spent with her.

She shook her head rapidly, clearing her mind, opening her ears again to the sounds of summer around her. She'd missed being herself for so long that she swore to herself that nothing would kill her mood today. This thought alone boosted her joy so much that she began bouncing again, happy at herself and at the world.

Everything was great.

She'd been so caught up with herself that she didn't notice that she was at the station until she was standing on the platform. She stopped, stared for a second at the tracks below her, and giggled. _Almost walked into 'em_.

The train ride was less than an hour long, but the clickety-clack of the rails and the scenery whooshing by kept her rather entertained. Before long, she arrived at the Saddlesburg station and began trotting happily to her cousin's. It wasn't far off; she still remembered the time she was five or six and visited her. They played all day along the little dusty road to her family's grand estate... she glanced at the shadows created by the oaks and willows and reminisced.

She grinned widely and noticed slightly a bounce developing in her step. Oh, the joy of the world! Of life, of freedom, of being Pinkie! A feeling she hadn't experienced recently grew slowly in her chest, begging to be released.

Pinkie happily obliged to the feeling, and began to sing an impromptu verse under her breath.

_"The summer days are passing by_

But slow and calm, so I can feel

All of the joy and happiness

They have to give, that nopony can steal..."

A tune began developing itself almost cinematically in her mind as she began skipping down the dusty path. The musical notes themselves were floating nicely in her mind to an empty sheet of music. GCEGEFDBGCEGEGAG...

_"My music lingers in the air_

And every creature 'round can hear

This song I'm singing from my heart

_If they would ever want to lend an ear..."_

The sunlight drifted down for the latticework of leaves above her, casting a dappled pattern of light on the ground in front of her. The birds around her almost seemed to be aiding her song, as though they were in harmony.

_"The world is green far as I see_

The birds are singing cheerfully

Would I try to suppress the joy

That because of the forest came to me?"

She decided to end her song here before she made a stupid rhyme and ruined it. That happened to her a lot. Instead, she basked in the comfort she felt as her pace began to slow and her eyes closed. Harmony. That was it. Peace and harmony.

"Pinkie Pie?"

Her thoughts were broken momentarily by a voice rather similar to her own. She opened her eyes and saw her cousin Tulip in front of her, smiling ear-to-ear. "Pinkie, I'm so glad to see you! How long has it been?" she asked, trotting up to her and giving her a friendly hug.

Pinkie accepted the hug and giggled. "It was only last summer, silly!"

"Seriously? It seems like it's been forever. I'm really excited to see you. You should see this thing we've planned out; it's fantabulous."

_Fantabulous?_ Pinkie thought as Tulip led her quickly out of the grove of trees and into the front yard of her home. As grand as ever, the old Victorian mansion had a new addition: there was a garden now out back. Pinkie could see the plants from the walkway.

Most of what surprised her was the party she'd set up with her father, Pinkie's uncle Dorian. So far, six other ponies had arrived. Pinkie introduced herself to the relatives she knew... the other two she left alone. There were streamers and balloons and brightly colored tablecloths and, last but certainly not least, something of Pinkie's own invention: the party cannon.

Pinkie's jaw dropped comically and she raced over to the bright blue and green ceramic beauty. "Holy hay, Tulip!" she gasped, as Tulip ran to her side. "How did you... how could you have possibly..."

"Remember last year?"

"Oh, right." Pinkie had tried successfully to sneak a prototype party cannon into her cousin's birthday party. The third time she used it, it exploded. It was fantastic, and nopony got hurt, but it apparently made Tulip begin working on an improvement.

"Does it work?" Pinkie asked excitedly.

"No, Pinkie," Tulip answered sarcastically, "I spent six weeks' allowance to build something that _didn't work_."

"Jeez, Tulip, six weeks'?!" Pinkie asked. She admired it again; it was much smoother and cleaner-looking than the one she had at home. "Has it ever been used?"

"Actually, no," Tulip replied, "all the decorations were done by hoof. I was waiting for you."

"Aww," Pinkie replied. "Thanks, Tulip." She leaned over and hugged her cousin warmly. Tulip had been her best friend when she was young; their relationship hadn't fallen apart in almost twenty years. She felt by now that she could tell her anything. _Anything at all,_ she thought.

But would she have the nerve to bring it up?

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •

Twilight collected herself again and went through the probabilities, positive and negative. She cringed as a few really terrifying possibilities were dredged up from the back of her mind.

_Well, it's too late to turn back now,_ she thought, and knocked twice on the door. when there was no answers, she leaned over and looked into the window. "Pinkie?" she called out.

"Twilight? Twilight Sparkle, right?"

Twilight turned her head to see a familiar stallion whose name failed her. "Oh, um, hi; I'm just looking for Pinkie. Do you know where she went?"

"Yeah, she, uh, left this morning. Don't know where she was going; I called good morning to her, but she was probably just talking to herself again."

"Oh. Okay." Twilight was deeply disturbed by this news. Hundreds of questions sprung into her head. Where was she going? Why didn't she talk to anypony? Was it my fault? Oh, Celestia, it probably was. "Which way did she go?"

"To the train station, I think... why?"

"No reason. Thanks. Gotta go, bye!"

"No problem, Twi!" the stallion called as she hurried away. What was his name? Twilight's mind drew a blank. All she could think about was how cruel she must've seemed; how she must've made her friend feel. She must've just left because she couldn't stand being in the same town with her anymore. She closed her eyes as she trotted down the tiled road; she felt horrible.

Closing her eyes on the crowded street wasn't a good idea. She ran headfirst into an extremely familiar pony, one whose name she definitely couldn't forget.

"Trixie?!"

Twilight looked on in confusion as the baby-blue pony recovered quickly. "The Great and Powerful Trixie wishes you would watch where you were going!" She began to walk away, but turned, doing a double-take. "Twilight Sparkle?!"

"Yeah," the lavender unicorn said defensively, moving quickly to her feet. A few bystanders were quickly promoted to onlookers as a small scene began to develop on Mane Street. "Still going on with the 'Great and Powerful' schtick, huh?"

Trixie suddenly grew uncharacteristically submissive. "Not really. Sometimes it just sorta slips out. Old habits die hard." There was a little smile playing at the corner of her mouth, but it died quickly. "Although I haven't been living up to my potential ever since you... did that thing you did, it far from suggests that I've forgiven you!"

The crowd around them amassed slowly in size. "You don't say?" Twilight said dryly, still rather aggressive. The anger was dying, though; it was clear that the once-prideful unicorn had changed. "What are you up to now? Haven't you realized that your name isn't much in Ponyville anymore?"

"I understand, I do! Back off!" Trixie said, scowling. "I've stopped trying to be famous. It didn't work." There was an icy undertone in her voice.

"So what are you up to?"

Trixie sighed, and shifted her eyes around at the significant group of ponies now surrounding them. "Get! Leave! Seriously, I'm trying to talk to somepony here." The ponies began to break off, scoffing and laughing. Trixie's eyes lingered on a few remaining ponies before returning to meet Twilight's.

"I'm planning on trying to find a job here. I've been turned out by a lot of other towns, just because of my reputation. A reputation that _you_ earned for me, Twilight Sparkle."

"I'd love to take the credit, Trixie, but I'm afraid it was _your_ lying that earned you that reputation." Twilight turned to walk away.

"Wait!" Trixie called out, almost pleadingly. "Can... can you help me?"

Twilight groaned. _Ugh. I'm gonna have to do the right thing here, aren't I?_ She turned around to face Trixie again. "With what?"

"I just need to work for a living. I still have my magic, you know; nopony can take that away from me. I... maybe it'll come in handy. If anypony needs help, can oh at least tell them I need work?" She sighed. It was obviously difficult to speak with her former enemy. "I'd be forever in your debt."

"I guess, if I come upon anypony who wants help, I can just refer them to you... I guess," she said unsurely. At least it would make a great friendship report.

She turned to leave again, but heard Trixie's voice. "Twilight?"

"Yeah?" she replied without turning.

"... Thank you."

Twilight nodded slightly, and walked away to the station without another word. As she walked away, though, totally unbeknownst to Trixie, she was smiling.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •

Pinkie threw herself down on the chair, breathing heavily. In less than an hour, all the other party guests had arrived, and the party had commenced. By noon, they'd been through at least fifteen house and dance songs courtesy of the only local DJ.

A huge, recently cannon-decorated pavilion housed almost two hundred friends and relatives, and there was a long gold banner reading 'Happy 24th, Tulip' on it behind the bandstand. Pinkie had been dancing spastically nonstop since the songs had begun almost an hour and a half ago.

She looked happily around at all the ponies she knew, and all the ponies she'd come to know during the party. When was the last time she'd done this?

"I know. Two hundred seems like too much, right?"

Pinkie turned her head to find Tulip sitting next to her. "Tulip!" Pinkie seemed surprised. "Why aren't you dancing? It's _your_ party!"

Tulip looked at her in disbelief. "Yeah, because I have the stamina to dance for an hour straight."

Pinkie giggled. "Oh, you and your sarcasm."

"Oh, and speaking of sarcasm," Tulip said teasingly, "how's that boyfriend of yours doing?"

The two burst into laughter. "Oh, come on, Tulip, that's mean!"

After trying to calm down a bit, Tulip continued. "Seriously, though, do you have any... interests?" She winked mischievously.

Pinkie sighed shortly. Any more force behind the breath and it would have been considered a snort. Now would be as good a time as ever. Plus, she always felt that she could tell Tulip anything. Anything at all.

"Actually, Tulip, I have something I wanna tell you. Can you... promise to keep a secret?"

"Well, sure, of course." Tulip grinned at her, totally unsuspecting of what Pinkie was trying to say.

"Tulip, I... jeez! Why can't I..." She trailed off for a few seconds, then regained control. "Tulip, I'm not interested in colts."

Tulip cocked her head, then raised her eyebrows, and blinked a few times. _Oh, Celestia, what is she thinking? How will she react? Will she hate me?_ "I have something I wanna tell you, too."

_Wait a second... no way. No way._ "Yes?"

"I'm actually from Manehattan."

"...What?"

Tulip remained totally stoic. "Oh, I'm sorry, I thought we were discussing things that didn't change anything."

Pinkie opened her mouth for a second, confused. Then it finally clicked and she reached over to hug her cousin tightly. "Thanks, cuz."

"Back to the party?" Tulip asked, grinning again.

"That would be just fantabulous."

Laughter ensued.


	6. Part Six - Victory

"Tulip!"

"Whatisitwhatisitwhatisit?!" Tulip sat bolt upright, her eyes snapping open.

"Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up!" Her cousin was bouncing ecstatically around her bedroom, a huge grin spread across her features.

"I'm pretty awake now, Pinkie." Tulip's eyes closed again, but she positioned herself over the side of the bed and rolled sluggishly off of it. "What's so dreadfully important that you have to wake me up at six in the morning?"

"It's nine."

"Oh." Tulip thought for a few seconds before retorting, "Well, it's my birthday, so I should get to... I dunno... sleep in and stuff."

"Your birthday was yesterday."

"Still," Tulip replied drowsily. "What do you have to tell me?"

"Not tell you, show you! See, see, look out the window. Do it! Look out the window!" Pinkie skipped over to the window in question, beaming brightly.

"Okay," Tulip said, walking over next to Pinkie. "I see... the sun. It's... really bright. It's hurting my eyes."

"And?"

"Uh... I see my backyard." She looked up at Pinkie's smiling face. "It's... um... amazing?"

"Nope!"

"What is it, Pinkie?" Tulip's patience was wearing quickly away.

"It's a beautiful day!"

Tulip looked in total disbelief at her cousin, and shook her head. Pinkie. "Welp, I'm goin' back to bed," she announced, and turned on her hooves, walking shakily back to the mattress... the still-warm, good-smelling, soft, comfortable mattress...

"Wait!"

Tulip groaned softly, and turned around, facing Pinkie again. "What's up?"

"I have to get back to Ponyville... I won't be seeing you for another year. I wanted to say goodbye before I leave."

Tulip awakened more fully because of the oddness of the comment. "I thought I'd have time for that later... don't you still have to pack your bags?"

"Nope." Tulip squinted at two horrifyingly pink bags sitting by Pinkie's hooves that she hadn't noticed before. How could she have missed neon in its purest form.

"... What time do you usually get up in the morning?"

"Sunrise."

"You lie," Tulip said, grinning. She shook her head again, chuckling. "Why... how do you... how can you possibly wake yourself up?"

"I dunno. I just do." Pinkie smiled again, her eyes shining. "Come here. Hugs."

Tulip cocked her head at Pinkie, whose mouth was open expectantly and whose foreleg was raised towards her. "Alright. Okay." She smiled again, and nodded, walking over to her cousin for a hug.

"I'm gonna miss you, 'cuz." Pinkie said sadly.

"No, you're not." Tulip grinned. She'd been waiting for three months for her birthday, just to tell Pinkie something that she was sure Pinkie would love. "I," she began, pulling away, "have taken two personal days to spend in Ponyville with you."

Pinkie's mouth opened, as though she was about to say something, but all that she could force out of her throat was a squeak. Tulip walked over to the shelf above her bed and took down two dusty train tickets, before turning and waving them happily in front of Pinkie.

Eventually, Pinkie managed to speak. "...Are you gonna bring the party cannon?"

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •

The train ride back to Ponyville was filled with laughter and happiness. It was just what Pinkie needed, a little morale boost after the emotions of the last few weeks. The recovery to her normal self was slow-going, but it turned out perfectly in the end.

Her thoughts, as per usual, were flying into her head and hundreds of miles an hour. Tons of questions and comments were tumbling one by one out of her mouth, and the conversation between the two cousins was better than ever. After all, the fact that Tulip would be with her for a few extra days in Ponyville _combined_ with the perfect weather? Too much.

During a quiet moment, as each pony regained their breath, Tulip spoke up. "You know, I heard you singing yesterday. In the grove near the house."

"Oh," Pinkie replied. "So..."

"No, I'm not getting at anything. I'm just saying." She looked back up at her cousin, smiling slightly. "I thought it was pretty."

"Aww. Thanks, 'cuz." Pinkie smiled back brightly. "You know, I just came up with that when I was walking through the trees 'cause I was just so happy and I remembered something and then this tune came to my head and I started putting words to the tune and - oh look, we're here." She glanced out the small portcullis-style window to see the station speeding into view as the train slowed to a halt.

Tulip looked momentarily out the window to see the sprawling Germanic town, dotted with all shapes and sizes of thatched-roof cottages and long, decorative tiled streets. Beyond the station, and the town itself, she caught a glimpse of Ponyville's most essential economic feature: the huge rolling farming fields and orchards.

She remained still, her eyes opening a little wider. "It's so beautiful here," she commented to Pinkie as she was preparing their bags for departure. "I don't even remember Ponyville that much."

"Really?" Pinkie asked. "Last time you said you had such a super-duper time that you'd never, ever forget it."

"Pinkie, that was almost twenty years ago."

"So?"

"Pinkie, how on earth do you manage to wake up at sunrise every day and remember things from two decades ago?" Tulip laughed.

"It's my brain's fault," Pinkie replied, laughing along with her, and the two stepped out the train doors and onto the wooden platform. "Don't call me out for my brain. It doesn't work."

"Call you... what?" Tulip asked, confused, as the pair stepped out of the station and onto Mane Street. "You know, I'm glad I decided to do this. And I'm even more glad you let me stay at your house," she added, chuckling.

"How could I refuse having my bestest cousin ever ever over for two whole days?" Pinkie asked joyfully, bouncing along next to Tulip. She slowed down for a second and looked over to her cousin. "Why can't you stay for more than two days, though?"

"I have stuff to do back home, too, you know. Daddy's sending me to law school, actually, on Wednesday afternoon. This whole thing is like a sending-away party... and I'm sure you, of all ponies, know how to throw a party." Pinkie looked back at her friend and laughed.

"Law school? Boring!" She giggled. "Sorry. But seriously, if it's a party you want, it's a party you'll get." She nudged Tulip in the ribs with her muzzle, making her giggle, too. "I promise."

They arrived at the apartment shortly, and Pinkie, still talking and laughing with Tulip, walked up and knocked on the door.

Tulip watched on, entertained by the pink earth-pony standing on her own front steps, knocking her own door. She decided to speak up after about a minute. "Um, Pinkie, isn't this your apartment?"

Pinkie turned around, and shook her head. She thought for a few seconds and burst into laughter. "Well, I feel smart," she said, unzipping the front pocket on one of her suitcases and pulling out a small keyring. "Here it is!" she called to nopony in particular, and opened the door wide.

When both were inside, Pinkie began helping Tulip bring the luggage up to her bedroom. Pinkie began renting the apartment almost a year ago, when she could finally afford the down payment. However, she wasn't able to afford much; the best deal seemed to be a one-bed one-bath townhouse rather close to Sugarcube Corner.

As Tulip was bringing the last of the suitcases up to her room, she heard a small, surprised voice behind her. "Pinkie?"

Pinkie instantly recognized the voice, and turned around to the screen door. "Fluttershy?" she replied, and pushed open the door slowly. "Hey, Fluttershy! I haven't seen you in, like, forever!"

"Hi, Pinkie," Fluttershy said, accepting her friend's hug. "I noticed you and somepony else came back from... wherever you've been. I just wanted to make sure... have you, um, moved on?"

Pinkie smiled and looked back at the apartment behind her. "What, with her?" she laughed. "No! No, no, no, no, no. She's my cousin."

"Oh," Fluttershy murmured, and looked rather embarrassed. Maybe she shouldn't have brought anything up... after all, they hadn't spoken for three or four days.

"But," Pinkie added, her voice lowered, "I'm planning on trying soon... I mean, Twilight seemed pretty sure of herself when I asked last time. I hoped there'd be a chance, but apparently not."

Fluttershy could see that Pinkie's mood swung quickly back to downcast; fortunately, she'd been about to tell Pinkie some possibly uplifting news anyways. "Well, I wanted to tell you that Twilight's been looking for you over the past few days... she said you didn't tell anypony where you were going, and she was kinda right. She said she wants to talk to you."

This gave Pinkie mixed feelings. On one hoof, it could easily be something very good - something very, very good. On the other hoof, she could be angry or... or something. Pinkie didn't dwell too much on this thought. On the other other hoof, it could be something totally neutral.

While Pinkie thought, her cousin descended the stairs, beginning to speak to her absent cousin. "So Pinkie, I was thinking that maybe -" she stopped when she saw Pinkie outside talking to a yellow pegasus.

Tulip pushed open the screen door and walked to the pair. She couldn't hear much except hushed conversation between the two; maybe she shouldn't be interrupting.

However, Pinkie heard her cousin's hooves on the tile. "Hi, Tulip!" she said, spinning around to meet her. "I wanna introduce you to my friend Fluttershy!" Tulip reached out to shake her hoof and they exchanged quiet greetings.

Tulip leaned over to Pinkie and whispered, "Is she-"

"No, say nothing."

"Okay."

There was a brief conversation between all three mares before Fluttershy quietly walked off. Before she could, though, Pinkie called out to her. "Wait up, Fluttershy!"

She turned her head. "Yes?"

"Where's Applejack? I haven't seen her in forever."

"I'm not sure... I mean, I could try to find her.. if I can."

"Don't worry about it, I'll find her. It may take longer, but I will!" she called back, giggling a little.

Tulip leaned over to Pinkie again. "Is _she_-"

"No."

"Oh."

They both watched Fluttershy depart and walked back into the house, Tulip first. Pinkie almost groaned when she heard her name again, before she realized who it was.

"Pinkie?"

Pinkie turned around, her eyes darting quickly to the lavender unicorn standing a few feet away from her. "Twilight, uh, hi!" she stumbled, a light blush coming to her cheeks momentarily before Pinkie willed it desperately to fade. Just because she said she _wanted_ to move on didn't mean she _had_.

"Pinkie, I've been looking for you for the past few days! I didn't know where you went!" she said with hints of annoyance and distress in her voice.

Tulip leaned over once more. "Is _she_-"

"... Yeah," Pinkie whispered back.

"Oh. Um. I'm just gonna - I - I have to go to the bathroom?" she offered, and laughed nervously before turning and walking quickly back into the house.

Pinkie had been watching her cousin disappear into the apartment; when she turned back, Twilight was standing only about three feet from her. Her first instinct was to step back, but she calmed herself and remained in place.

Twilight continued. "I've been worried about you! You didn't tell me, or anypony else, where you were going!" She shook her head. "Why are you always so secretive?"

"I guess I, um, just forgot to tell everypony. I, uh, went to my cousin's birthday party and I came back today but she surprised me and came back with me. I didn't plan it, but I'm happy she's here." She grinned. "She's my favorite cousin."

"Ah."

The two stood in an awkward silence for a few moments, each trying to figure out what they should say. Eventually, Twilight spoke up. "Pinkie, I... uh... I've been thinking."

Pinkie stood still, and blinked. She didn't dare assume anything; it never seemed to work out for her.

Twilight continued segmentally. "I, um, I've been thinking about, uh, what we've - what you - gimme a second." She closed her eyes and started over. "I've been thinking about what you said to me the other day. I've been thinking... that maybe it wasn't quite fair."

Pinkie didn't move a muscle. Did she dare believe her ears? Well, yeah, 'cause ears don't lie, except that one time a few months ago when the - no! Focus!

"Maybe - um - maybe I could, sort of, take a chance?" She blushed a bit. "I mean, I'm going out on a limb here, 'cause I don't wanna make myself look stupid, but I... I mean..."

Pinkie took this pause to regain her speech. "What do you mean by 'take a chance?'" she asked, almost shyly.

"Well, I mean, um, maybe we could... uh... how do I say this?" she said, frustrated. "Well, the point I'm making is that I've never taken the time to actually be with anypony. I'm just not sure whether it's fair to turn you down without thinking things through first." She inhaled, composing herself once more. "I'm not sure how to say this. Um... are you free Friday?"

The cogs in Pinkie's brain were still moving slowly, struggling to process such sudden, yet dire information. This was important; if she didn't phrase something right, this tentative grasp on a relationship could be ruined. She decided that saying less kept her safer. "Yes," she replied.

"I was thinking maybe we could meet at the corner deli on Mane Street at seven?"

"Yes. Yeah. Y-yes," Pinkie stuttered, still trying to make sense of what she was hearing.

"Well, I guess, uh, I'll see you there," Twilight said softly, still flushed pink.

"Yeah."

Pinkie stood there, dumbstruck on the tiled street, until Twilight was totally out of sight. Then, she lowered her head to the ground and sighed. Without another thought, she turned and ran back into the townhouse.

"TOOOOOO-LIIIIIIIIIIIP!" she shouted, scrambling madly up the stairs. "Tuliptuliptuliptuliptuliptulip!"

"I wasn't asleep," Tulip said, sitting up quickly on Pinkie's bed, the still-packed suitcases next to her.

"Oh Celestia, I have so stay calm but I can't 'cause GUESS WHAT HAPPENED?!"

"What? What happened? Was it good? Are you dead? Am I dead? Am I dying?"

"Morbid thoughts, Tulip," Pinkie reminded her, and Tulip settled down. "But guess what?"

"I did. I was wrong."

"Oh yeah. Okay, so listen."

Pinkie then sat next to Tulip on her bed, smiling happily. Tulip's face fell, and she shook her head to keep he mane out of her eyes. "So... what?"

"I've got a date on Friday!"

"What? With that mare outside?"

"Yeah! It's such a long story..."

"Oh, no, no, no, wait Pinkie -"

"So two weeks ago, oh jeez, it seems like such a long time ago now..."

Tulip sighed, and fell back onto the bed, a hint of a smile creeping onto her lips. _Oh, Pinkie._


	7. Part Seven - Patience

There was no way Pinkie could sleep. Not tonight. Instead, she drew herself slowly up from her bed so as not to disturb her cousin and walked silently over to the window near the corner of the room.

She hesitated momentarily to open the window, for fear that it would awaken Tulip, but followed through anyways. A warm summer night's breeze swept into the room with a faint, whispering whistle. Pinkie inhaled deeply, smelling the lush greenery and moistness of the night. She closed her eyes - this was what she needed to calm her thoughts. It usually was.

It may indeed have been the most exciting, joyous day of her life so far. Now, after two disheartening weeks of pain and rejection, there was a chance to prove herself. But... that wasn't the right word. She had next to no say in the matter; it was really all the decision of Twilight.

Pinkie sighed, unsure of her emotions. It was easy for her to stay serious when nopony was looking. At this thought, she was alarmed by her cousin rolling over in her cot, groaning softly. Pinkie smiled sleepily at the irony, and, having satisfied her questions, returned to her bed, taking slight comfort in the fact that it wasn't up to her.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •

As always, Pinkie was awake in the wee hours of the morning, sitting at the kitchen table and writing plans out furiously. When Tulip came downstairs, Pinkie had already finished her designs and had begin to call the businesses that were open at 8:30.

Tulip shook her head, and blew a few loose hairs out of her eyes. "Hi, Pinkie," she said groggily, befor wiping a hoof across her eyes and yawning. "I got 'til eight tonight... what do you wanna do?"

Pinkie had foreseen this question, and had come up with a believable answer. "I was thinking maybe today we could go and see Shimmering Lake. It's over near Fluttershy's."

Tulip looked at her confusedly, and nodded. "I'll just follow you, then. Tell me when."

"Now. Let's go."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. Why not?" Pinkie grinned widely. "It'll wake you up. Then we can go eat lunch, and figure stuff out from there."

"I can tell you why not," Tulip said as she followed the pink mare submissively out the door. "One, I'm tired, two, it's morning, three, what are we gonna do at the lake for, like, three hours?"

Pinkie remained silent but smiled to herself, avoiding Tulip's gaze. Oh, the look on her face would be positively priceless.

The pair arrived at the thinly-spread grove of elm and maple separating Fluttershy's cottage from the Everfree Forest. Tulip looked up at the rather impressive height of the trees and breathed, "It's almost like home."

"I was just thinking that!" Pinkie said happily.

"Wavelength!" Tulip replied in a singsong voice, and they clapped hooves above their heads, giggling.

Pinkie led her cousin into the grove, down the rocky path leading to the secret patch of grass near the lake only Pinkie knew about. It overlooked the entire lake, but nopony else had ever discovered it except her. She was planning on walking in a circle around the lake from that spot to the main beach, and then...

It was gonna be good.

"Hey, Pinkie."

Pinkie had just started to walk through the reeds around the lake, and turned her head as well as she could. "What's up?"

"There's a boat here. Why don't we just take a boat across the lake?"

Pinkie thought for a few seconds, and figured it wouldn't undermine her plans. "Sure, but I get to drive."

"You mean row?" Tulip said, climbing into the boat cautiously.

"That's what I said," Pinkie giggled, following her cousin and grabbing the oar lying in the mud next to her.

As Pinkie propelled the pair closer to the center of the lake, she caught a glimmer of neon green disappearing quickly into the brush. They seemed to have everything set up right; she could only hope that it worked out the way it had in her head.

Pinkie pulled the vessel over to the coast, to the outspoken confusion of her cousin. "Why are we pulling up to the coast here? Why not just row across the lake?"

As she helped her cousin out of the boat, she said, "This was the spot I wanted us to come to in the first place."

"Then why the detour?"

"Well, we couldn't have come from the other side, silly," Pinkie giggled, excitement already rushing to her head. "After all, everypony's hiding in the woods."

"Hiding in the-"

"NOW!"

All at once, close to four dozen ponies jumped out of the trees, simultaneously shouting "SURPRISE!" Tulip reared back, almost falling into the water behind her, before smiling at Pinkie and laughing. "You know, Pinkie, you're an absolute genius."

"Thanks, 'cuz," Pinkie replied, laughing and pulling Tulip to her hooves. "I wouldn't really call myself a genius, but..."

"Why not? You planned this entire thing in less than a day."

"Well... yeah, I did."

Meanwhile, a few ponies were pushing a strange-looking wheeled snack tray out of the trees. Applejack strode out, managing to control her apple-cart so it wouldn't careen into the lake.

"Oh, c'mere, Tulip!" Pinkie said, pulling Tulip over to her friend. "I wanna introduce you to Applejack!"

Applejack smiled amicably, and reached out a hoof for Tulip to shake. "Well, howdy-doo, Miss Tulip! Mah name's Applejack, and ah'm mighty pleased ta meetcha!"

Tulip accepted the hoofshake with equal enthusiasm, and started up a little small-talk before walking away to the rest of the crowd to introduce herself to everypony else.

Applejack leaned over to Pinkie. "Is she your new-"

"No! She's my cousin! Why does everypony keep thinking that?" she said in mock exasperation. Then she giggled. "You know, AJ, I wanna tell you some great news. Yesterd-"

"Hey, Pinkie!"

Pinkie stopped mid-sentence and turned her head past Applejack. Her eyes met a pair of sparkling lavender ones, and she smiled, unafraid of letting herself be overwhelmed. After all, if she could hold up long enough, she had a date in three days. She slowly approached Twilight.

"Hi, Pinkie," Twilight greeted her again, and stood silent for a few seconds. "I, um, brought my record player. It's right over there."

"Oh, cool," Pinkie replied. "Just set it up whenever."

"I already did."

There was another few moments of awkward silence, before Twilight began to speak again. "Um, I heard Trixie's looking for a job. Do the Cakes have an open spot?"

"Wait, you mean 'The Great and Powerful Trixie'?" Pinkie giggled, and snorted. "I'll have to check with the Cakes. I'm not sure she's cut out for baking, though." As hard as she tried, she couldn't imagine the puffed-up magician making a tray of cupcakes.

"Alright. I'll just wait for your word, then."

Eventually, just as Pinkie was about to leave, Twilight finally pieced together what she was going to say. "Pinkie, about this Friday."

Pinkie's ears unintentionally pricked up. She tried through willpower to force them down and appear less desperate. "Yeah?"

Twilight seemed very shy about the whole ordeal. "Could you... just... not tell anypony else yet? Don't get me wrong," she added, seeing the pink mare's face, "but I'm just not sure whether I'm ready for my friends - my other friends - to know about something like this. Plus, I'm not sure what it would do to the Elements of Harmony, or whether the Princess would even approve..." She trailed off and sighed. "It's just not the kinda thing I'd thought would ever be part of my life, and... here we are."

Pinkie had been listening thoughtfully, carefully. She'd taken to heart everything Twilight had said, and it actually revealed a lot more about Twilight than she might've intended. "...Okay," she finally responded.

"Thanks, Pinkie. Corner deli at eight, right?"

"See you there."

With that, both mares departed, and walked off into the sizable mob of ponies around them. Peppy party music began to play soon, setting the minds of both the mares at ease... along with the minds of two other mares that happened to be part of the party throng.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •

Fluttershy had secluded herself from most of the other partygoers - or, um, surprise-partygoers. She would rather stay in this mystical place she'd moved into - it was a veritable oasis of magical calm surrounded on all sides by hustle and bustle. The way the light drifted through the trees and the way the dust floated about like sparkles in the air... it truly was beautiful.

Her extensive thoughts were interrupted by an irregularly small voice. "Um... Fluttershy?"

She turned from her reposing position to come face-to-face with Rainbow Dash. She gasped, and shrunk back.

If there was one thing Dash couldn't tolerate, it was letting her friends down. "Fluttershy... are you afraid of me?"

Fluttershy shook her head. "I just... I don't want to... um..."

Dash shook her head, too. "I don't want us to end up without a friendship. I never did. I'm really, really sorry I shouted at you the way I did. I've been hearing taunts and stuff like that all my life, 'cause of the rainbows, and... just the general tomboyishness." She paused. "Is that a word?"

Fluttershy chose to ignore the last question; it seemed rhetorical. "I don't want us to end up without a friendship, either. But, you know, what I said was true" - her voice adopted quite a serious tone - "and I didn't lie. Everything I said, I really do think about you." Her serious tone left her, and it left her embarrassed.

Dash remembered back to the night almost a week ago. Everything Fluttershy said... everything? She blushed a deep magenta. "I - I didn't - I can't -" she stuttered.

Fluttershy stared at the ground between her hooves. "It's okay. We can still be friends, right?"

Dash looked intensely at the other pegasus. There was so little in common between them; Nonetheless, they'd kept a friendship going for just under two decades; maybe they would work well together in a... _different_relationship. But she'd always been straight. Always.

...Right?

She sighed, and thought things through in her head. Perhaps... perhaps she _had_ been hasty. But how would her reputation suffer if it was publicized that she even _tried_ something like this?

She continued staring at Fluttershy, who, in turn, was staring at the ground. She seemed like there was really something there; like she really did have feelings for Dash. Would the plan she was conjuring up work on both ends?

"You know what?"

Fluttershy looked up at Dash slowly.

"We can... _try_ this. But I don't want it to be public yet."

Fluttershy's mouth was open slightly, and her eyes showed quite a bit of surprise. "You mean..." she nearly whispered.

"How about we meet here tomorrow at eight? Right here, in front of this lake?"

Fluttershy ha the overwhelming urge to jump into the air and fly circles in joy, but she kept herself as calm as possible, even though she could clearly hear her own heart beating. "Of-of course. Yes."

"Alright, then. We'll try this." Dash turned and walked away, leaving an emotionally bottled, yet still uncontainably excited Fluttershy in her wake.

Bottled + uncontainable = not good.

She had to pee.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •

Pinkie and Tulip returned in high spirits to the apartment at around noon. It was almost lunchtime, and Pinkie already had plans for that, too. She'd ordered a professional meal delivered to the apartment at noon, and picked it up as the pair entered the door. They unwrapped it from its box while it was still warm and began to eat.

After they were finished, Pinkie donned the most exaggerated mischievous look she could and stared Tulip dead in the eye.

Tulip put her fork down slowly. "Alright, beginning to scare me a bit here, Pinkie."

"Well, I have a super-duper surprise for you."

Tulip groaned in false exhaustion. "Another one? I could barely handle the first!" she whined.

Pinkie bucked open the oven and pulled out a lump on a tray covered in aluminum foil. "Well then, I guess you don't want this!" She ripped the foil off of the lump to reveal a strikingly orange, masterfully decorated cupcake.

Tulip stared at the masterpiece, then at her cousin, then back to the masterpiece. It was like gold in an edible form. Unable to speak, she looked at Pinkie, pointed at herself with her hoof, and mouthed, _For me?_

Pinkie nodded vigorously, and Tulip tentatively brought the cupcake to her lips. She didn't want to ruin it, but, since Pinkie insisted, she bit slowly into it.

Instantly, she was on her hooves. "Pinkiethisisabsolutelyamazinghowlongdidittakeyout omakethisitssog-"

"Woah, calm yourself, 'cuz," Pinkie said, jamming her hoof playfully onto her cousin's lips. "You don't wanna break my speed-talking record."

Tulip smiled at Pinkie from ear-to-ear, and reached over for a tight hug. "You're the best cousin ever, Pinkie."

Pinkie hugged back. "You too, Tulip."

After all this excitement had died down and they'd been around the town a bit more, Pinkie helped Tulip with her bags and escorted her to the train station. It was a rather emotional farewell even for two cousins who only met once a year.

After this, Pinkie felt an obvious unease. There wasn't much else to do today, or tomorrow. Or the next day. She'd just have to wait until Friday.

So she went upstairs, sat down on her bed, and waited.

And waited.


	8. Part Eight - First

Pinkie awoke from another out-of-body dream. They'd been losing frequency, giving Pinkie hope that soon they would disappear. That soon she would have no need for dreams portraying her as Twilight, and they would be replaced by dreams portraying her _next_ to Twilight.

She sat up, and hugged herself a little, plunging herself into an unintentional daydream. In her bubbly imagination, nothing ever went wrong; the world was just as she wanted it. Everything was perfect for her, from the nature around her to her friends' feelings to her own feelings. That included her own relationships.

She remained in her own world for a little longer than she would've liked, just to boost her morale a little. She wanted to remind herself that everything would be okay.

Because tonight she had a date.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •

A little later, when Twilight woke in the stillness of her library, she began to prepare herself as well, albeit in a different way. She opened her eyes to the early daylight and, almost immediately, she levitated the book she'd been reading the other night from the drawer near her bed.

She looked cautiously around her and flipped it open to her bookmark. She couldn't afford to let Spike see her recent change in reading materials.

The small blue book's emblazoned gold title read, _A Few Tips to Know on Your First Date_. She'd sneaked it out of the library (to her great chagrin) on Tuesday. She'd nearly hit the end already, despite the fact she was forced to read in secret.

_Remember to never let yourself get nervous. You should be able to be yourself, no matter what anypony else does._ She thought about this. It wouldn't be hard to be herself - she didn't know how to be anypony else in the first place - but she was sure that Pinkie already knew who 'herself' was. What would she do? What would she say?

She flipped through the pages, as though expecting something to jump out at her. Obviously, nothing did, and she slumped back on her bed.

Maybe it wasn't her responsibility. Maybe she would just go along with it, see where it went. After all, this kind of thing doesn't happen every day; she doubted there was a book written on it. But she still felt an academic responsibility

How are you supposed to date a friend?

She eventually pulled herself out of bed and nudged Spike awake soon after. He responded with a groan before slipping sluggishly off of his pillow and trudging down the stairs, leaving Twilight alone once more.

She began to re-shelve books, stopping periodically to glance through a few, to take her mind off what would occur that evening. It worked well, for a good half hour, before Spike came upstairs again to check on her.

"Twilight?"

She gasped and dropped a few of the floating books, the baby dragon's small voice breaking the silence and stillness of the room. She regained her composure quickly.

"I - um - breakfast is ready," he said from the door. There was a slight pause. "Are you alright in there? 'Cause I heard a few thumps, like something dropped-"

"Yeah, I-I'm good, Spike."

The dragon turned from the door and began walking down the steps. Twilight had been acting funny over the past few days, but be just couldn't place his claw on what it was. He wasn't going to guess, either; he'd never been very good at that.

He shrugged it off and continued down the steps.

Meanwhile, in her bedroom, the violet unicorn lowered herself slowly onto her bed, the interruption of her task inviting her thoughts back into her head with frightening power.

She was confused as to why she asked Pinkie in the first place. She'd thought it was an impulse action, but that would insinuate that she had deep feelings for Pinkie. Which she didn't. That was another main point.

She believed that she was testing herself, not Pinkie. But in that case, in the event she finds out that she _is_ a lesbian, she'd be in a relationship with Pinkie. Is that what she wanted? Was it?

Twilight hadn't been given such a strange scenario to work with before. She was torn emotionally - between whether she actually thought going out with Pinkie was a good idea because she wanted to test her own sexuality, or that she might actually have feelings for her.

This made Twilight draw a shuddering breath. Maybe it was a placebo effect. Maybe, because Pinkie had said all those things to her, that she thought she might be attracted to her. But... was it really? She felt as though she couldn't read her own emotions, and it frustrated her beyond belief.

This date would affect so much in her life. She was counting on it to answer dozens of questions for her.

But for those answers, she'd have to wait until eight.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •

Pinkie busied herself in various ways around the house until the sun began to sink in the sky, and Luna was about to bring the night. By then, she'd taken a shower (it didn't help straighten her hair, though) and brushed herself thoroughly. It all seemed like a dream; like it wasn't really happening.

But it was, and it would, whether Pinkie liked it or not. She hoped she would love it; she hoped this date would be the most successful date in all of Equestrian history. She wanted so desperately for Twilight and her to... to 'work out'.

At a quarter till, she left the apartment and made her way to Mane Street. She scolded herself when she tried to prepare; she wanted everything to be from the heart. Nothing could screw this up - not her, not her mouth, and not her outspoken brain.

She wasn't prepared for what she saw waiting for her at a table in the corner deli. Twilight was beautiful; her coat was shining in the light of the sunset, and the early moon cast a highlight over part of her mane.

Pinkie looked up at the sky. It was almost an omen... almost exactly at eight came twilight itself, a brilliant purple color lighting up the sky briefly before night could take hold. She took a deep breath and began to approach the lavender unicorn.

Twilight noticed her arrival. "Hey, Pinkie," she greeted her, and patted the seat next to her, inviting her over.

"Hi, Twilight!" Pinkie said, trying to contain her excitement. She walked over to the small umbrella-table Twilight was sitting under and sat near her - not quite next to her, but close. She smiled despite of herself and waited for Twilight to begin.

It took Twilight a few seconds to speak. "You know, Pinkie, I've been thinking about this. I just want to start... like, from the beginning."

Pinkie thought for a minute. "Well, I guess I can do that. Um... lessee... well, first, I'm really happy to be here." She paused. "I'm glad we could do this. I know it's a long shot, but I'm so, so glad you agreed to try."

Twilight smiled. "Well, I'm happy to do this, too. I..." She trailed off, unsure of what to say. How could she talk about what was going on in her head? _She_ barely understood it.

Pinkie continued. "I dunno. I guess that since I've been thinking about this a lot, and then I actually see it happening, I just get ecstatic. I'll... I guess I'll just try my best."

"Pinkie, I don't want you to try, I want you to be yourself. In fact," Twilight added, "I've noticed another side to you. A quiet, thoughtful side that I haven't seen before. I'd like to get to know _her_ better."

Pinkie swallowed. Just be herself? Herself around Twilight was different form herself normally. Maybe that's what she was talking about. "I think I started acting like this a few months ago, almost a year now, I guess, when I first met you. You calmed me down - no wait, that's not right - you... made me think. It was a challenge keeping up with you."

Twilight was listening carefully. The same thing, or, rather, the polar opposite happened to her. Instead of making her think, Pinkie let her have fun. She taught her indirectly how to let go and stop worrying. "Is that bad?"

"No! Of course not! I'm not challenged much, but I like to be. That's why I play sports and enter competitions and stuff. I like a challenge... but nopony ever seems to think that about me."

The two continued talking quietly in the dimming light, until the deli closed at nine. By then, of course, their conversation had grown so complex that it was impossible to just stop where they were. Pinkie found herself unintentionally accompanying Twilight back to the library.

"What, are you kidding? I wouldn't ever play the lottery. It's too much of a risk of getting nothing," Twilight was saying.

"Well, yeah, but the point is the thrill you get when scratching off the stuff. You're never really gonna win anything; I think it's set up that way." Pinkie giggled before she looked up and noticed that they were in view of the library.

She turned to Twilight. "Well... um... it looks like you're home."

Twilight looked up, too, and nodded. "Yeah."

Pinkie looked at her and opened her mouth as if to speak. It remained silent for a minute or two.

Finally, Twilight spoke. "That was really nice, Pinkie. I'm glad we did this."

Pinkie had been thinking of the best way to respond. "...Are you free Wednesday?"

Twilight smiled. "No, but I am Tuesday."

Pinkie tried to keep from grinning from ear-to-ear. She didn't screw up. It was gonna happen again. "Six?"

"Sure."

Pinkie's pulse picked up speed, but she declined herself her desires. "Well, good night."

Twilight watched her walk away, her hooves striking the tiled street to produce the only sound audible in all of Ponyville. The moonlight formed Pinkie's silhouette as she walked farther down the road. Twilight sighed shortly and looked to the ground, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

It didn't stay long, though; when she heard her name, her expression changed to one of surprise.

"Hey, Twi," Rainbow Dash called from above her. She flew around her until she met her face-to-face. "What's up? What was that all about?"

"What was what all about?"

"I saw Pinkie and you walk up like you were going to the library, then you stopped, then Pinkie walked away. You know it's, like, ten, right?"

"It's barely nine!" Twilight was developing a defensive tone.

"Okay, okay! Jeez!" Dash came down to earth in front of Twilight. "I was just asking."

"We had a sort of girl's night out." It wasn't really a lie, and Twilight was still reluctant to tell any of her friends about her and Pinkie's... whatever they were doing.

"Oh." Dash didn't want to mention where she'd been all evening, either. Instead, she quickly changed the subject. "I know it'd be asking a lot, but is the library still open?"

Twilight forced herself not to laugh. "You said it yourself, Dash - it's, like, ten."

"But you said it was barely nine!" Seeing the look on Twilight's face, she groaned. "Fine. I'll come back tomorrow." Without another word, she took off into the air, flying in the direction of Cloudsdale.

Twilight shook her head at the quickly departing pegasus, and chuckled to herself while walking into the library door. _I've sure set her to the books, haven't I?_

She slept peacefully that night, but not before she documented her findings. She learned two things: the only two things she'd ever learned that she didn't feel comfortable sharing with Princess Celestia.

First: Pinkie had indeed captured her attention. She'd opened Twilight up to a whole new side of her, a side she'd never seen before, with thoughts and emotions that she didn't think Pinkie was capable of. Second: she'd learned that it didn't seem to matter that Pinkie was a mare. She'd set a spark; although Twilight wasn't really sure what it meant, she did feel something - something she hadn't read about, and something that she would have to learn about.

She was hoping to get some more answers on Tuesday.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •

The door shut behind her quietly, breaking the quietness of the night for less than a second. It was enough to break her out of her trance, though.

She never thought it would go so well. She dwelt happily in this thought until another, less comforting thought crept into her mind. She couldn't really determine how well it went. _Well, Twilight_ did _say it was nice... but she's always been kind to me. What if she was trying to make me feel better?_

_ No. She wouldn't. I could've sworn she was being serious._

She shook her head and tried to take her mind off of everything by baking a little. She didn't often bake so late at night, but she just had a compulsion. Soon, the smell of batter filled the small kitchen, and Pinkie lost herself momentarily in her task, all the while thinking positive thoughts.

Another realization came to her mind soon: she agreed to a second date. She _must_ like spending time with her.

_Maybe,_ she thought as she laid in her bed, _just maybe, I'll be able to follow my dreams. This could work._

She hugged her pillow tightly until she drifted off to sleep.


	9. Part Nine - Second

**Act III**

The days sped by. Friday was fine; Pinkie inquired with the Cakes about an open slot, and they said they might be able to squeeze one in. By chance, she caught Spike leaving a supply shop and asked him to deliver a message to Twilight.

Saturday was fine, too. She went on a few errands, and ran into Applejack on the way. Of course, in conversation, she had to leave out a lot to avoid revealing Twilight's secret, but she was still able to get a bit off her chest. Throughout the rest of the day, all her stress eventually left her. Summer always brightened her mood.

Sunday, though... Sunday seemed nearly nonexistent. It wasn't terrible, but she stayed in all day, which was, of course, quite unlike her. Perhaps it was due to the weather; it had recently become relatively hot out, which induced a lethargy in most of Ponyville. Even the Element of Laughter had little energy that Sunday.

Lastly came Monday. Monday morning, a few painful thoughts entered her mind, which plagued her throughout work. Nonetheless, she tried to be amicable to the familiar yet new employee. Pinkie would have to be training her all week, anyways, so she tried to get off on a good hoof.

When it came time to clock out that day, Pinkie felt that she'd learned a lot of things about Trixie. She was willing and filled with stamina; and, although it was difficult from time-to-time for her to follow directions, she seemed to be trying her best to fulfill any expectations of her. Pinkie had no idea what inspired such a dramatic change, but she felt good about it. It wasn't every day that somepony turned their life around.

A little later in the day, Pinkie decided to pop in and visit with Fluttershy, who she felt was one pony she could trust above any others. It wasn't like she couldn't trust Rainbow Dash (after all, loyalty was kinda her thing) or Rarity, but she had been rather focused on Twilight, Applejack, and Fluttershy since... well, since two weeks ago.

At about three in the afternoon, Fluttershy heard a few brisk knocks at the door. She gasped and jumped, and her already-red face turned a deep shade of maroon. She jumped up off the couch, excusing herself, and went over to the door, opening it embarrassedly.

"Oh, um, afternoon, Pinkie."

"Yes, it is," the pink mare joked, grinning. "Just wanted to drop by, no reason. Just to say hi." She paused, and looked at Fluttershy. "Hi."

"P-Pinkie, it's really not a good time, I have company over, and I just - I -" she stopped, unsure of how to continue. She'd been trying for days not to rush over to Pinkie's apartment and open up her heart, and tell her about all of the wonderful things that had been happening to her. She didn't want to hurt her friend by rubbing her own life in her face.

Pinkie smiled again. "Oki-doki-loki! If it's not a good time, then I'm out! Peace!" She turned (with a bit of a swagger) and proceeded to walk away.

"But... I didn't want to... you don't... oh!" she cried out in frustration, and stomping her hoof on the ground lightly. She had just realized how rude she must've seemed. She sighed, and turned back to the couch, a smile coming back to her face.

"Now, where were we?"

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •

Tuesday couldn't have crawled any slower. Watching the seconds tick by as she sat at Sugarcube Corner and continued helping her trainee was agony. At least she caught on quickly, or it would have been frustrating agony.

When the final order was complete, a huge grin spread across her face and she dashed out of the bakery, trotting speedily down Mane Street, making a left on Strawberry Lane and another left onto the Sunshine cul-de-sac. Her velocity only broke momentarily as she quickly unlocked the screen door and burst up the stairs. They'd agreed on six... there wasn't much time.

She combed herself and washed herself and dried herself and groomed herself and combed herself again, until her mane and coat were as shiny as the sunlight glinting off of a cupcake tray as it was pulled from the oven.

She knew by then that mental preparations weren't what Twilight was looking for, but screw it, she was nervous enough to need them. She recited a few lines in the mirror before taking a deep breath and checking the clock. Ten 'til. She should be heading to the library.

She'd already asked herself multiple times where she'd planned for them to go; she didn't want to go anywhere too expensive or too cheap, so she settled as close as she could to the middle with a little family-owned restaurant on the east side of town: _Mary's Roses_. She had to do a little research to find it, but hey, whatever worked.

Of course, she had to leave it open, in case Twilight had a different idea, in which case they'd go there instead. She set out on the road, and before long reached the library. Before she could step up and knock, though, Twilight slipped out of the heavy door, letting it shut quietly behind her.

Like on Thursday, she was beautiful... Pinkie could see from here that she really worked on presenting herself, and had even worn a small amethyst necklace. No doubt it was picked out by Rarity.

Speaking of, Pinkie had noticed that Twilight seemed to be spending a lot more time with Rarity since she'd approached Pinkie last Monday, if not even earlier. But there was no room to wonder. The last time she assumed... well, it didn't end nicely.

Twilight approached Pinkie, and smiled. "Ready to go?"

Pinkie tried to control herself, but just couldn't help it. She smiled back, an ear-to-ear type of smile that came not from etiquette but from true happiness. "Do you already have somewhere in mind?"

"Well, I mean, I considered all kinds of places, but if you already have one in mind, we should try that one."

"You sure? It's a bit of a walk."

"I'm up for it," Twilight said, putting a hoof over-dramatically in the air. "Let's go for a walk!"

Pinkie giggled, and walked off, motioning for Twilight to follow.

The walk there was filled with conversation, joking, and laughing. Both were in great moods, for reasons undisclosed; but despite the mystery of the happiness, it was still happiness, and they reveled in each other's company.

By the time they arrived at the restaurant, their stomachs were audible. It was rather busy at 6:30, and the pair had to wait to be seated. Eventually, though, they were, and they placed their orders before they began their conversation again.

Pinkie heard herself slip twice into embarrassingly flattering statements, but Twilight didn't seem to notice. If she did, she was too polite to point it out. At this thought, Pinkie smiled again. Twilight was always so good to her.

However, Twilight, actually, made the statement that most tripped Pinkie up, and she accidentally responded to it. Near the end of a comment Pinkie made, Twilight commented after a bit of laughter, "Oh, Pinkie, you're wonderful."

She wasn't sure of the motive behind this statement, but she replied as though trying to play it off. "Well, thank you, Twilight, you are too." Just when the sentence had left her mouth, she felt a terrible sense of faux pas. She felt even more like a moron when Twilight flushed a light red, and stopped talking for a few moments.

She didn't know how to apologize or respond without saying something worse, so she tried to start a new topic. It took off well, and the two were soon talking again as though nothing had happened, but stopping every now and again to take a bite of food.

It was going perfectly, or, at least, semi-perfectly, for Pinkie, and Twilight seemed to be having a great time, too. By the time the bill came (they each paid for themselves), Pinkie found herself falling for Twilight more than ever.

It wasn't Pinkie's fault; it couldn't have been. Twilight was just so easy to fall for. She was smart, kind, understanding, caring, polite, and generous. Not to mention really... really, really pretty. Pinkie sighed and blushed at the innocent little thought.

The walk back was quieter, although it was still peppered with random comments and bits of conversation. It was barely 7:30, but it felt like they'd spent such a long time talking.

Pinkie felt that she hadn't been too much of an annoyance tonight. At last she hadn't made any major mistakes: maybe if she tried, next time could be even better. Almost just as she thought this, the library rose into view, the stately tree trunk rising above all the roofs of the nearby houses, dwarfing them against the slowly-darkening sky.

When they came to a reasonable distance from the door, Pinkie turned to face Twilight fully. "That was fantastic," she began, not a hint of falsity in her voice, "and I'm so, so glad you agreed to this. I had a lot of fun tonight."

Twilight smiled. "I did, too. I think we should do this more often. Can we do this again on, say, Saturday? Maybe I meet you at your apartment at six?"

Pinkie nodded vigorously. "Definitely." She was beginning to loosen up around Twilight; after all, friends who are dating are still friends, right?

Twilight nodded again in response, then, in a quick, premeditated, confident action, she leaned forward and kissed Pinkie gently on the cheek. It wasn't too passionate, obviously, but Pinkie could tell it was totally sincere, and definitely out of... could it be? Was it out of...

As Twilight disappeared silently behind the thick wooden door of the library, Pinkie concentrated hard on not jumping for joy. She didn't need to, though, because by instinct she turned and walked in the direction of the apartment, albeit blushing profusely.

Even in the cool night air, Pinkie could still feel the warm spot on her cheek. She could still remember the experience, no matter how quick it was. She could still remember the unicorn's soft, warm lips pressed against her face for that one amazing, beautiful moment. She still had a vivid memory of the emotion she felt Twilight was giving off; it felt like love. It really did.

This thought gave rise to an unbelievable surge of happiness in her. She bounced and skipped and laughed aloud the rest of the way home.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •

Twilight was seated again on her bed, reading. By now, she'd put away all the advice books that were given to her and that she'd checked out, and was getting back into her daily routine of study.

But no matter how she tried, she couldn't concentrate on the copy of _Transcendental Mathematics_ lying in front of her. It just wasn't possible. She was thinking too much.

She looked lazily over the page again, but found herself reading the same line twice, as she did when distracted. She looked lazily over the page again, but found herself reading the same line twice, as she did when distracted. '_All real transcendental numbers are irrational, because all rational numbers are algebraic..._'

She sighed and closed the book, laying a hoof across her face. _Was it the right thing to do? Did it give Pinkie the right impression? Why did I do it in the first place?_

There weren't too many possibilities. The most likely was the one she least wanted to hear: that she actually had feelings for Pinkie. Maybe she did. She did feel something throughout the entire dinner; something deep in her chest that she couldn't explain. But then she thought back to what happened a few minutes ago, and bit her bottom lip.

It wasn't too far-fetched, but it was still hard for her to grasp. She hadn't even considered the possibility of this kind of relationship before, not even during the first date. But now, now that things seemed to be turning out so well... truthfully, she was beginning to get frightened.

At least tomorrow she had plans. Maybe she'd be able to get a few things off her chest then.

For now, she should get some sleep. She wanted to be alive, awake, alert, and enthusiastic tomorrow.


	10. Part Ten - Advice

The alarm pierced the thin fabric of Twilight's dream with a shrill ring loud enough to wake even the deepest sleeper. She awoke with a start, forgetting momentarily where she was and why it was so dark. Alarms always had that affect on her; that's why she rarely used them. She needed it today, though; she didn't usually get up so early.

As they'd planned the week before, Twilight would be heading over to Rarity's boutique in the early morning. It was the only time that she felt safe and alone, as though she couldn't be seen by anypony.

She promised she'd keep Rarity updated, but, as she hurriedly and quietly forced uncooperative strands of hair down and smoothed out her bedraggled coat, she wondered to what extent. How much did she feel obligated to tell her friend? Absolutely everything, or should some matters be kept... personal?

By now, since Rarity was the only one she'd felt comfortable opening her heart to, Rarity was the only one she'd actually felt _compelled_ to open her heart to. If she needed to say something about her... situation, she went to Rarity, who seemed happy to talk to her no matter what time she dropped by.

However, the two unicorns had planned _this_ meeting that Sunday, so that she'd be able to talk to Rarity about the night before and so she wouldn't be made a liar by saying she had plans on Wednesday. (She didn't know why she said it; it may have just seemed natural to her. Didn't seem at all strange at the time.)

In any case, just as the sun was peeking over the horizon, Twilight was briskly on her way to the boutique, thinking over how she might go about asking her questions. Of course, Rarity would probably be the one asking questions; maybe she should stop worrying. She'd caught herself doing that more and more recently.

She trotted up to the elegant double doors of the shop and knocked a few times, glancing around her to detect any unwanted onlookers. The door was surrounded momentarily by a rich bluish glow, and swung open to allow Twilight entrance.

Twilight graciously stepped inside, and turned to her left, walking into an always-impressive sunroom that had been converted into a veritable workshop. More like a design studio, really.

"Good morning, Rarity," Twilight began, addressing her friend who was seated behind a writing-desk carefully measuring out a length of fabric. "Sleep well, I hope?"

"Oh, darling, still with the niceties," Rarity replied, in mock exasperation. "I'm sure you don't need to know how I slept. But -" she spun around in her chair "- _I_ want to know how last night went."

Twilight swallowed nervously. Right down to business, huh?

"Tell me," she said, bringing a length of yarn over to Twilight (who often assisted Rarity in her work while they talked), "how was it?"

"It was great - I mean, you know, it was good like last time. It was nice." She smiled, unconvincingly trying to play herself off.

"Now, stop for a moment, darling, I heard 'great'. Why was it so great?" She'd stopped working for a second, and smiled over her shoulder to the quickly-blushing Twilight.

"I mean, it was... see, I just..." She sighed, and began wrapping the yarn into a tight ball. "You wanna know the truth, Rarity? I liked it a lot. Like, more than just fun."

"Ooh! Is something... developing?" she asked mischievously.

"Hey, hey, now, you're prying a bit too much," Twilight joked, and both laughed for a few seconds. When she calmed down, she began again.

"Really, though... I dunno. I'm not sure what's happening, you know?" The yarn hovering above her began to pick up speed. "Throughout most of the dinner, I felt something, like, in my chest, and I can't explain it." The yarn quickly became a blur of lemon-yellow in midair as Twilight's breathing began to shallow. "I'm just - just not sure - I don't - I mean, I wanna make the right choice, before - but I'm still not sure whether -"

Rarity rose from her seat and walked over to her friend, as she finally released the yarn, a good-sized ball of thick yellow thread falling to the ground in front of her. She was breathing heavily and flushed red; magic so quick and calculated took a bit of effort.

She picked up the ball and turned her head to the side, moving it over to a large wooden chest and closing the lid after it. She turned to face Twilight again. "You shouldn't get so upset after something like this. Really, darling, I know you should be conflicted, I understand, but -"

"You - it - you can't understand!" Twilight shouted, her voice reverberating around the room. She remained silent until the echo faded away. "I barely understand," she went on quietly. "I keep seeing Pinkie Pie as I've always known her, as my friend, but then she goes and changes into a Pinkie Pie I haven't seen before... I mean, she's the same Pinkie, but there's something else."

Rarity was listening quietly. After she was sure her friend was finished, she clicked her tongue. "Oh, you're right, of course; I couldn't understand. But I'll always be here for you, whether I understand or not."

A smile came quickly to Twilight's lips, and then to Rarity's. Twilight reached a hoof around her for a hug. "Thanks, Rarity. It's just confusing sometimes, and I don't like things I don't understand. I'm sorry."

She shook her head, and began walking around the room, moving a few stray ribbons and shreds of fabric from the floor and sweeping them into the rubbish bin near the door. "I'm glad you're okay with this. I wouldn't think, last week, that I'd be able to talk to anypony about this so casually and confidently. And here we are." She paused again, moving a mannequin to its original spot. "I'm just so confused about... I mean... well, Pinkie's not just my friend. She's a mare. And I... I never even thought of this happening. I'd heard of it, but never dreamed that i might be a... you know?"

"Ah, well, _c'est l'amour_." Seeing the look on Twilight's face, she clarified, "It means 'such is love'."

"I know what it means. I'm just really happy that you're so okay with it."

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"I dunno. But I have a feeling that if I told anypony else, they might not be as accepting. It's a scary thought, really; sort of a fear-of-the-unknown type of deal. Like, I don't know how it'll turn out, I don't know whether I_want_ it to, and I _definitely_ don't know how the others will react if it does."

Rarity invited her friend over to a large couch, and sat down next to her. "Now, although I haven't been in any situations like this, I will _always_ be here for you. And I'll always try to help. But for now..." She leaned more over to her friend eagerly. "...How'd it go?"

Twilight blushed, remembering back to the night before. "Nothing much happened."

"Nice try, darling, I can see the blush. What did she say to you?"

"Nothing! Really!"

"Well, what's the blush for?"

This direct question turned Twilight a deeper shade of red. Should she withhold this? She kinda wanted to tell somepony; it was kind of a milestone for her. "Well... I... um... I kissed her goodnight."

"You what? What kind of kiss?" Rarity's tone quickly changed from one of teasing to one of worry.

Twilight was still feeling rather shy after her revelation, and this question took her far out of her comfort zone. "Why's that important?"

"Well, be_cause_, darling, relationships depend on timing! That kiss may have been way too early! You know the saying about the second date!"

"What the... no, I... what does that mean? I mean, come on, it was just a kiss on the cheek!" her voice had adopted a pleading tone.

"Nonetheless, darling, the actions on your next date will be crucial to your relationship's survival! She'll be expecting it again, but with more... how should I put it? Firepower. That's usually how it works." She was standing now, pacing in front of the couch where Twilight was sitting awkwardly.

"I'm sorry, but I'm just so worried about the entire thing now," Rarity said, pausing where she was and turning to look at Twilight. "Usually one doesn't kiss on the second date."

"Still, it wasn't too much, just a kiss on the cheek," Twilight said, still sounding upset. "Why would it cause so much of a problem?"

"See, you can't do the same thing on the next date, and you can't do nothing, now," Rarity replied, putting a front leg to her head almost despairingly. "And if you don't want to progress any faster, you wouldn't give - well - any more _firepower_, like I said. I heard you say you wanted to take it slow, and really, darling, that's just not the way to do it."

She stopped when she saw the look on Twilight's face. She sat down next to her again. "I'm sorry if I worried you, Twilight. You should just do whatever feels right. I promise it'll all work out in the end."

Twilight stood. "...Thanks, Rarity," she said softly, and walked quietly out of the sunroom. Rarity was left alone on the couch near the door, Twilight's visibly worried face still fresh in her mind.

She was overcome suddenly with a feeling of emptiness; for the first time since their meetings started, Rarity felt like she was unable to help her friend. She felt like she let her down.

She also realized how skewed her perspective on the situation had become; she had thought Pinkie was convincing Twilight, but now it seemed like Twilight was actually - like _she_ was falling for _Pinkie_. It was all dreadfully confusing as it was, and she forced herself to lie down.

She repeated to herself that it wasn't her job; it wasn't her business; it wasn't her responsibility. She couldn't pry; that would be positively rude. But she still felt like she should help.

She sighed, and remained prostrate for a little longer before returning to her desk and to her work.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •

Twilight returned to the library as quietly and inconspicuously as she could, but attracted the attention of her most diligent assistant anyway.

"Morning, Twilight!" Spike said from the doorway got he kitchen as Twilight stepped slowly into the treehouse. "You're up early... and you were out early, too," he said, but didn't seem to be talking to her anymore. He stared off into space for a minute before returning to the other room.

Twilight watched him disappear behind the wall and sighed. She wasn't sure how long she could keep this from everypony - and definitely not from Spike. After all, Spike would be in the library when she left and would still be there when she returned. That could be for anything, from her conversations with Rarity to her actual dates. Spike might piece something together, and, whether he was right or not, Twilight didn't want him to get the wrong impression.

She hesitated to follow Spike into the kitchen, and more than hesitated to begin speaking. He was standing on tiptoe, peering into the cabinet.

"Hey, Twilight, you want breakfast?" he asked, leaning out of the cabinet and shaking a box of cereal.

"No, I - I already ate," she lied. "Spike-"

"Speaking of, we need more milk. I noticed that earlier this morning -"

"Spike," she repeated gently but firmly.

He turned to face her, and closed the cabinet behind him. Twilight walked over to the nearby table and sat down, leaning on it and laying a hoof across her face. Spike easily sensed that she was upset and hurried over to her. "Twilight, are you alright? What happened?"

"N-Nothing. I just... I just wanna talk to you," she said softly, still piecing together what she would say in her head. Her mouth went dry suddenly and she took her hoof off her face, keeping her eyes closed.

"Spike," she began, opening her eyes and steeling herself, "can you keep a secret?"


	11. Part Eleven - Third

Pinkie stared out her window, past the buildings and trees and sky and deep into her own mind. She wasn't really focusing on much; since their very tentative relationship had begun, everything seemed to revolve around her and Twilight's date nights. Everything. Every once in a while, she just wanted to jump for joy and spill her soul out to Applejack or Fluttershy and tell them all about how everything was just so excellent, and how she wished that the future would turn out exactly as she always wanted it to.

And then she remembered what Twilight had asked her, and forced her mouth shut. Then, her mood fell and her joy depleted until it was date night once more.

Everything was centered on this. At work, her heart was bursting to just pour out her emotions to one of the Cakes or even to Trixie. At home, she daydreamed frequently about what she desired so badly for their relationship. Anywhere she went, she seemed to become preoccupied, her thoughts trailing back to the mare she had been in love with for so long now.

And now, finally, thank Celestia, it was that time again; the one day that added a new level of hope to the futures she constantly envisioned. If there was a possibility, or an opportunity, or a risk, she'd take it. As long as it helped her reach her dreams.

Everything had already been prepared. At the end of the last date, Twilight told her that she would meet her at the apartment... so all she had to do was wait. Just wait - and then she could overflow with happiness for one night; she could spend time with Twilight, real time, just talking and laughing and feeling good with her, and, if she was lucky, she would be able to do it again.

She could tell it was simple as she thought it; it was the most basic thing an early relationship was comprised of. It was strange to realize how calm and peaceful it made her feel. Of course, by the time Twilight arrived, she was practically ecstatic, having already daydreamed to no extent what could go on that night.

She heard a knock at the door, and she felt a tingling warmth run through her chest. After nearly galloping down the stairs, she forced herself to calm down before she answered it.

Pinkie was shocked momentarily by the purple mare's appearance; she truly had gone to extra lengths. Maybe. Well, her coat _seemed_ shinier... and her mane _seemed_ to be brushed neater... even her eyes were sparkling more. To Pinkie, of course; well, maybe it was just her emotions getting the better of her. Again.

She opened her mouth as if to speak, but the words she formed in her head wouldn't form in her mouth. "I... I..." she stuttered, and blushed, embarrassed. She wasn't used to being uncomfortable, and definitely not to being shy.

Twilight giggled. "You what?" she replied playfully, smiling. "Anyway, hi, Pinkie," she greeted her, stepping to the side and allowing Pinkie to pass.

_You look beautiful. You look beautiful._ "...Ready, Twilight?" _Just say it._

"Definitely. Where are we going tonight?"

_You look beautiful._ "There was a movie that I've been wanting to see for a while, I thought maybe we could go to the theatre." _C'mon, Pinkie._

"Sure! I'll just follow you, then," Twilight replied, her happy demeanor touching Pinkie deeply. _I think she likes being with you, Pinkie. Just tell her she's beautiful._

"...You know what, Twilight?" Pinkie asked, as they began walking out of the cul-de-sac.

"What?"

"You look beautiful tonight."

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •

_Left Decision_'s fourth showing began at seven; they could take their time. Along the way, they began a conversation, as per usual, but Twilight seemed to be in such a good mood that Pinkie couldn't bear to interrupt her. She took the other end of the conversational spectrum this time around; she listened.

The knowledge that somepony she had feelings for was enjoying their time together felt good. It felt really good. A brief impulse passed through Pinkie's mind before she pushed it back out. Twilight said she wanted to go slow; there was no way she would accede to something like that in the middle of the third date.

Pinkie tried to follow what she was saying, but it led off into such complicated subjects that she quickly became lost, and, although she concentrated on their rather one-sided conversation, nodding and replying occasionally, she noticed to her horror that she was slipping into another daydream. She shook her head and tried to force all the thoughts out of her mind, and it nearly worked, if Twilight herself hadn't have been walking alongside her. It really didn't help.

Thankfully, the arrival of the pair at the theatre saved her from her thoughts. Pinkie noticed that Twilight had quieted down since the building had come into their sights; she turned to her and smiled. "It doesn't start for another half hour," she said, pointing to the _Left Decision_ poster. "Do you wanna go in now, or...?"

"Sure! We can just talk until the movie starts. You know, you wouldn't think it, but you can be a really good listener if you want to."

Pinkie followed her inside, replying, "And you can be really talkative if you want to."

"Hey!" she giggled, pushing Pinkie playfully with a hoof. "I guess I just feel really good today."

"I could tell."

Twilight laughed shortly as they walked to the back of the ticket line. "Quick wit there, Pinkie. Where'd you find that?"

"I picked it up recently," Pinkie said, remembering back to when her cousin was in town and smiling. They paid for their admissions, and picked two seats near the front in theatre 5, throwing some 'newfound' wit back and forth and laughing together.

"You know, just tell me if you want popcorn or something, 'cause I can just run up and get it before the movie starts," Pinkie commented as various commercials and notifications flicked up on the screen.

Twilight cocked her head. "Would you?"

"Sure. Back in a sec."

Twilight was left alone with her thoughts, and she began to finally dwell on them a bit. It was only about five minutes until Pinkie returned with a cliched striped bucket of popcorn, but in that time, Twilight had finally made a decision that she'd been thinking about ever since her meeting with Rarity.

Pinkie set the popcorn in-between them and sat down again, just as the lights dimmed. The screen was illuminated by a rather depressing scene - a nearly grayscale shot of a bus stop, with a mare standing under the overcast sky and in front of an overgrown, rundown urban area as the wind whipped past her and blew her mane behind her.

Twilight leaned over and whispered, "What's this about? You never told me."

Pinkie giggled. "Just watch, silly."

The plot began to slowly unfold with the introduction of two dashing colts and a sudden declaration of war, followed by a hectic evacuation scene and a few action and thrilling bits thrown in here and there. It wasn't too bad. Not bad at all.

Of course, Pinkie was hardly paying any attention to the movie. She laughed at the funny parts, when she caught them (or understood the joke), and gasped at the surprising and frightening parts, but she didn't focus too much on the movie itself as she did on the mare she came with.

She smiled when Twilight did, not because of the movie so much as because she liked Twilight's smile. Also (lucky, lucky her), during one jumpscare scene, Twilight jumped and grabbed Pinkie's foreleg, before blushing and pulling away.

She'd been tempted multiple times to do that thing she'd always read about and seen in movies, where the colt puts a hoof over the mare and on her far shoulder, and it can be all romantic and stuff. But, as she thought about it, and looked next to her at the lavender unicorn, she decided that she didn't want to take the risk. She didn't want to lose a relationship because of one stupid impulse.

She came to attention during the closing scene; apparently, one of the colts had been killed and the movie ended with a kiss between the second colt and the main character.

Pinkie felt another warm, tingly feeling in her chest, running down the length of her spine, through her entire body. She imagined, for a minute, that same kiss, with her as the colt and Twilight as the mare. The same position, the same passion, everything. If only.

Nonetheless, Pinkie was overjoyed that Twilight liked her enough to keep setting up more dates. At least she could spend time with her, whether something formed between them or not. By the time the movie was over, Pinkie noticed that she was blushing, and tried to think of something else quickly before the lights came on.

The pair left the theatre and walked through the streetlamp-lit streets of Ponyville side-by-side, talking about the movie, about the actors and actresses, about the director, and anything that came to mind. Pinkie was more than happy enough to talk to Twilight about anything. Pinkie didn't even notice they'd been walking for twenty minutes until they reached the cul-de-sac.

Pinkie stepped up to the door, and before Twilight could say anything, she asked, "Wanna come in and help me bake something?"

Twilight looked behind her, where the nearly-full moon shone in the sky. "It's about, what, nine? ... Yeah, I suppose I could come in for a little. We're usually together until ten."

Pinkie stomped her hooves against the ground. "Oh, goodie! I've been waiting for sooo long for you to try this!"

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •

"Well, there we are!" Pinkie said cheerfully, throwing the cupcake pan into the oven. "Now we just have to wait for fourteen minutes and twenty-four seconds."

Twilight giggled. The shine of her coat and mane had worn away, and there were small splotches of orange cupcake batter splattered about her, including a little in her mane.

Pinkie noticed this before Twilight. "Here, there's a little bit of batter in your mane," she said, and reached out to wipe it off. She brushed her hoof along her mane and let the drop of batter fall to the ground; however, her hoof remained where it was. She moved her hoof along her forehead and brushed a few stray hairs out of her face, and caught her gaze momentarily. She stared deep into Twilight's deep violet eyes for a few seconds, but wouldn't allow herself any longer. She quickly pulled her hoof away and turned back to the oven, her cheeks flushing a deep red.

After a few extremely awkward moments of silence, Twilight began conversation again, and anything that had happened between the two of them was forgotten for the moment. This conversation led right into the ringing of the oven's alarm, making Pinkie squeal in excitement and kick it open, flipping around to remove the hot pan as quickly as she could.

Her back still to Twilight, she picked up tubes of gold and orange colors, quickly and deftly forming little circular patterns on each of the six good-sized cupcakes. Without further ado, she turned around and proudly presented the pan to Twilight.

Twilight smiled. "Wow, I guess we did good, didn't we? These look great," she said, and popped one out of the pan and into her mouth.

She stopped dead where she was, unable to move her mouth, or forth matter any other part of her body. "Oh... SWEET... CELESTIA," she said, chewing as slowly as possible to savor it. "How - how on Earth did you - did you do... with the - the - apples and the cupcakes and - it tastes like apple pie but better! I swear, this has got to be the best thing I've ever eaten!"

Pinkie smiled. "Why, thank you, Twilight," she replied, taking a low, comical bow. "Applejack and I came up with this a while back. I'm not sure whether I'll ever sell them, though; I kinda wanna just give them out to my friends. I mean, you know, 'cause... well, I don't know why. Maybe. I dunno."

"You HAVE to sell this. I'm not kidding. This is genius. You're a genius."

She began to blush, and turned away again to put the tray on the counter. The smartest pony in Ponyville ever called her a genius - but that wasn't what made her blush. The pony she loved called her a genius; that above all else touched her deeply.

After a few more minutes discussing the cupcakes to great length and having a couple more (the rest), Twilight finally decided to finish up the night. She turned to leave, and Pinkie accompanied her to the door.

She turned to face Pinkie, who grinned in her ecstatic-about-life Pinkie way. Without a word, she leaned over to her and kissed her cheek, despite Rarity's warnings (and confusion). But, she decided, this time would be a bit different. Not too much so, but enough to let Pinkie know that she enjoyed their date. All she had to do was kiss her a little longer... that should solve everything.

Pinkie's mind was working full-speed. _It's the same as l- no, wait, it's longer, I- should I- I could-_ Her brain shut off as an instinctual feeling took control of her for a few seconds. She didn't have to wait for too long until Twilight stopped, then she leaned back over and kissed her cheek as well.

Another warm wave rushed over her. Even after she pulled away, she remained with her face pressed against Twilight's. Just for a second.

There was romance, of course, and a good amount of confusion, but they both paled in comparison to the joy she felt. She didn't try to restrain the smile that spread across her face, or even the blush that she knew was already there. She wanted to act on her emotions so, so badly right then, but she forced herself (with much difficulty) to remain in place.

Twilight blushed, too, and shifted her eyes down, smiling softly. "Wednesday at seven? I'll meet you in the park."

"Yes, ma'am," Pinkie replied, still trying to keep everything lighthearted to less of a degree.

Before she left the cul-de-sac, Twilight waved to Pinkie, who waved back energetically. When she finally left her sight, Pinkie walked inside the apartment and sighed, in the deepest of bliss. The smell of their earlier cupcake victory was still fresh in the air, and the warmth of Twilight's face against hers (twice!) was still fresh in her heart.

_Good dreams tonight._


	12. Part Twelve - Fourth

The long piece of parchment floating before Twilight was filled edge-to-edge with a nearly-indecipherable scribble. On the left side was a list entitled _Pros_; on the right, a list entitled _Cons_. She blew a few loose strands of hair out of her face and laid the parchment over the small stack that had accumulated next to her on the desk.

She'd begun after she finished her friendship report earlier that evening; she retreated to her room and began writing all of her thoughts down so she wouldn't lose them. It turned out to be a list about everything she'd been thinking about for the past week or so, all written down and organized neatly. Once she'd finished the first list, though, she took out another sheet and began writing it again, repeating everything the exact same way and slipping in a few thoughts when she had them.

There was plenty on the Pros side; that was good for Pinkie. But, there was also plenty on the Cons side. In fact, numerically, they were equal once she hit the twentieth list or so. So she'd spent the last few minutes writing more lists and thinking about what really meant something to her.

She opened her desk again and levitated another sheet of parchment towards herself, staring at it for a few seconds before laying it on the desk in front of her. She plucked the quill out of the inkwell tapping it twice on the rim to release any excess.

The first thing she always found herself writing was the pros. Additionally, she found herself usually starting off with 'Funny', mainly because it was true and because Twilight really liked that aspect of Pinkie. But that could also apply to normal Pinkie, not just to the new Pinkie Twilight had gotten used to seeing.

Afterwards came 'Kind' and 'Generous', because she could really see these aspects in her. Often, memories of their first few dates were dragged up in the back of her mind. She had always been complimentary to her, always told her that she looked nice or that whatever she may have been wearing really suited her. It was odd to hear it coming from Pinkie, with Pinkie's voice, but she'd grown to like it; it made her feel warm inside.

'Ecstatic' was the last answer she could sum up in one word. Pinkie seemed to be so happy around her, but not in her Pinkie way; she seemed to be calmed by Twilight; maybe she was kept from being hyperactive because she was shy? After all, she'd already professed her feelings; maybe she just felt uncomfortable around her.

Even thinking this made Twilight feel strange. It brought her back to the confusion she felt that one afternoon in the library. She remembered what Pinkie had said about her and blushed openly; after all, who was going to see her?

This was followed by tons of sentence entries, things that Twilight couldn't think of one word to describe, like 'Seems to really enjoy my company' and 'Second personality'. That last one added quite a bit of weight to the Pros side; Twilight had quickly come to like the new Pinkie.

As she hit what she thought to be the bottom of the list, a new thought hit her with gradual force. She moved her quill down one line, and slowly formed the letters one by one.

_The feeling I get_.

Why else would she keep asking Pinkie out? Why else would she have kissed her goodnight twice? Why else would she have felt a fluttering in her chest when Pinkie kissed her back last time? Why else had her thoughts been drawn to Pinkie multiple times and why else would she feel that small degree of nervousness when she met her sometime during the week, on the street or at a picnic or in a party?

It was that little feeling she'd had ever since day one. That little, nagging thought in the back of her mind that she couldn't define until now. She couldn't help but feel disappointed at herself as her brain immediately went to the scientific phrasing.

It's most likely love.

No 'I think I'm in love with Pinkie' or 'Maybe I love her too', just 'it's most likely'. A myriad of emotions swam through her mind; happiness that that feeling was defined, frustration that her mind didn't seem capable of emotion, and... something strange, something that actually had to do with what she just discovered. She tried saying the phrase she came up with out loud, to test the emotion.

"I think I'm in love with Pinkie."

It didn't sound right, but after what she'd been through in the past week or so, there was comfort in it. She still didn't feel like she was a fillyfooler, though; she really felt nothing (except, maybe, to some degree, jealousy) when she saw a particularly attractive mare. Then again, she rarely felt anything when she saw a particularly attractive stallion. Maybe it was true. She said the other phrase, further testing herself:

"Maybe I love her too."

The words barely left her lips when she felt a tingle in her spine, something she hadn't ever felt before. The thought, again, hit her with quite a bit of power. It was true; there wasn't any other explanation for it. She was falling for Pinkie.

But then she muttered 'fillyfooler' aloud, albeit quietly, and almost winced. It was a strange word; she didn't like it right off the bat, but when she thought about it, she began to realize she may be one. It just confused her, beyond anything else she'd ever studied. She just couldn't wrap her mind around her own sexuality... it almost made her laugh before she realized how stupid she must be.

An idea began to grow in her, an idea that she was sure Rarity would protest against. She'd thought about it enough to consider it safe, though.

It had already become night outside, and she finally realized she was staring at darkness, the letters she'd written illuminated only slightly by the glow of the magic surrounding the quill. She laid it down gently and walked over to her bed, ready to turn in early.

Results would be in tomorrow night.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •

Pinkie hummed to herself as she tried to keep herself busy at work the next morning. As always, she woke early and came in to work early, to begin filling previous orders and to get the ovens going.

She was a bit shocked when her coworker walked in the front door, moving part of her mane out of her eyes with her hoof. Usually Trixie never came in this early. She greeted her with a smile nonetheless. "Hi, Trixie!"

"Um, yeah, good morning, Pinkie," she said, yawning. "Oh, I sooo didn't have a good night. Seriously, when somepony's trying to sleep, others should be respectful and not stay up all night singing! I mean, really, singing? At night?"

Nothing could ruin Pinkie's mood today. "Hey, Trix, you wanna stay at my house for a while?" she asked suddenly, much to the bewilderment of her coworker. "It's pretty quiet in the cul-de-sac."

Trixie moved her mouth, but no sound came out. She looked around the room, as though expecting somepony to tell her what to do. But then she turned back and sighed. "No. I couldn't do something like that. I'll just stay where I am. Thanks, though," she added, smiling briefly before setting off to work.

The day... well, it didn't _speed_ by, but it wasn't crawling. She had a little conversation with Trixie and a lot of conversation with herself. She muttered and hummed tunelessly as she kneaded and pinched and poured and squeezed and formed. The last few minutes were absolute torture, though. When the clock finally sounded, she threw her apron onto a coat hangar and dashed out madly, shouting a quick goodbye to Trixie and Mrs. Cake.

She smiled, feeling the wind and sun in her face as she galloped home. As always, she started getting a tingling in her chest as she imagined what could happen.

Without further ado, she showered and combed and brushed and made herself pretty until she deemed herself presentable. The entire time, she was giggling, the thought of spending some not-too-casual time with Twilight making her happy beyond anything else.

Then, of course, she remembered how she usually acted, and calmed down. To have a nice date, she had to concentrate and think. Of course, she also had to be herself, but she also had to be somepony else. Then again, wasn't _she_ that somepony else?

She giggled again as she thought this, realizing that it was beyond her grasp and putting it out of her mind. She just had to do what came to her. Unless, you know, it was...

She felt that warmth in her chest again; the same kind of warmth she'd been getting when she was around Twilight. A serious, but happy warmth... well, it was hard to describe. Love is always hard to describe.

It was a quarter till when she decided to leave for the park. She wondered what Twilight had planned, the thoughts running rampant through her mind drawing her mouth into a smile.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •

_Link alert. Visual interpretation. Don't like, don't click._

There was still a good hour of light left, and the sun was hovering contentedly over the horizon when Pinkie skipped happily into the park gates. She continued skipping past the lavender unicorn waiting quietly on the small white marble bench, before realization dawned and she stopped where she was, turning around with embarrassment clear in her face.

"I - I -" she began to stammer nervously before Twilight stood and began to approach her. Her blush became slightly darker as Twilight giggled.

"It's okay, Pinkie," she assured the pink mare. "I don't want you to be nervous. Not tonight. I just want us to have a good time."

Although the blush remained where it was on Pinkie's face, she quickly regained her composure. "Oki-doki-loki!" she replied, and grinned. Tonight would be good.

The park was one of the most pastoral places in Ponyville. Well, not technically _in_ Ponyville, but lying right off the border. Nonetheless, it was really quite a tranquil place, especially right before sunset. As the pair walked, the shadows of the trees flickered by them and the birds were speaking in ambiance as they fluttered from tree to tree.

"You know, Twilight, I've never seen the same in books that you do. What's so super-amazing about words on paper?" Pinkie asked.

"Well, I guess..." Twilight began, unsure of how to go on. "It's like - it's - well, I suppose it's like they're transporting you to a different, more interesting world straight from somepony else's imagination. If it flows right, it just carries you along until you lose yourself in the words and in your own imagination."

Pinkie smiled, remembering back to the first few dreams she'd had about Twilight. "I thought so," she muttered to herself. "Well, I think art is better. Like, you know, paintings and stuff."

"Oh, like visual art? 'Cause, you know, literature is another type of art. Literary art. Like culinary art." She paused. "Speaking of, have you made any more of those really good apple cupcake things yet?"

"No. Why? Do you like them?" Pinkie asked, almost teasingly.

"Definitely! I would _pay_ for those things, Pinkie! I mean, I would literally - I mean, seriously!" Twilight seemed to actually be _excited_ about her and Applejack's creation. "I don't know, Pinkie. Those aren't normal cupcakes. They're, like, super-cupcakes. How do you make them?"

"Ha! I can't tell you, silly," Pinkie laughed, patting Twilight's head. "This could become, like, a family secret, or - or something," she trailed off, realizing the gravity of what she just said.

Twilight stopped speaking for a few seconds, a light red showing up on her cheeks. She stopped walking and pointed to her left. "Hold up a second, Pinkie," she said, and turned. "Here's what I wanted to show you. Seriously, I think this is really cool."

Pinkie followed Twilight to the top of a rather steep hill. She paused at the top, looking behind her at the path they followed. She turned her head back to Twilight and began, "What's -"

She stopped, and her eyes opened wide. "That's... it's beautiful," she breathed. The hill dropped off suddenly to a rocky slope that led into a sparkling blue body of water, surrounded by deciduous trees and wide plains. It was breathtaking.

"I - I didn't think we were anywhere near the sea," she commented.

"We're really not. This is more of a lake, but it has a tributary that leads into the sea." She sat down, inviting Pinkie to as well. "Isn't it beautiful?" she sighed. "Things like this, especially at dusk -"

"Twilight," Pinkie interrupted with a giggle.

Twilight paused for a moment. "Oh. Oh, that was good! I didn't think of that," she said with a short laugh. "Anyways, lakes and other stuff like this never ceases to amaze me."

Pinkie sat down next to her, gazing out at the natural perfection Twilight had led her to. "How could I not know about this? I've been in the park before, and I've never even heard of it."

"I don't know. I probably wouldn't have known about it if I hadn't have stumbled upon the map of Ponyville when cleaning up the den two weeks ago."

She looked over at Pinkie, who was still mesmerized by the sparkling lake in front of them. In a minute or two, though, she looked back over at Twilight and smiled. Twilight smiled back, and leaned her head forward to put her plan into action.

Pinkie didn't understand what was happening at first; she looked in front of her at Twilight's closed eyes and down at her hooves before she finally grasped the situation. She closed her eyes and leaned back, savoring everything. Twilight... had kissed her... on the lips! And it wasn't just a - it felt like - it was totally on purpose!

She could feel the tingling in her cheeks as they quickly flushed a deep maroon. She didn't know what to do with herself; nervousness screamed at her from her mind before she finally told herself to calm down. _Just be yourself. I think she likes you._

Twilight finally pulled away, her eyes remaining closed for a few seconds. Pinkie opened her eyes slowly to the lavender unicorn blushing almost as furiously as her, her mouth open slightly. She looked back over the shimmering lake, and back to Twilight, who was smiling shyly.

It'd been a few minutes before Pinkie began to speak. "Does this mean... are we..."

"I think I like you, too, Pinkie," Twilight said softly.

Pinkie couldn't suppress the grin that spread quickly across her features, and she could feel a stinging behind her eyes. Twilight was shocked by Pinkie's quick hug, but soon returned it as Pinkie's tears of joy slowly rolled down her cheeks. "I... I... thank you," Pinkie whispered, never wanting to release her grasp.

They remained at the top of the hill in their quiet embrace, as the sun slowly dipped below the horizon and the lake became dark and still.


	13. Part Thirteen - Coincidence

**Act IV**

Pinkie bounced alongside Twilight, across the darkened path that led them up to the glimmering lake... it would always remain in Pinkie's memory. After spending a few minutes on the hilltop, Pinkie had lost all traces of nervousness, and was ecstatic beyond anything she'd ever felt before. "So, are we, like, a couple?"

"Yeah, I mean, I guess-"

"Does this mean we're, like, dating for real?"

"I think that... well, what do you mean by 'dating for real'?"

"I mean - well - like, does everything have to be all set up, or can it just be a what-does-life-bring kinda go-with-the-flow kinda thing?"

"Well, you know, things do require planning, Pinkie; I mean, we should still take it slow," Twilight replied quietly, thinking before she spoke so as to avoid saying something that could endanger their tentative relationship.

"I know. I know. But... you know, I'm just..." She paused, and slowed to a walk. She laughed. "You know, I'm just so happy!"

Twilight smiled in the darkness, remembering back to that one evening in the library again. More and more often, that memory came to her, and made her feel that little tingle in her chest. It didn't seem uncomfortable to her anymore; it seemed sweet.

Now, though, she had a new bookmarked memory; the first real kiss she'd ever had was with Pinkie, and it wasn't the type of thing she'd forget about. But the tingle she usually felt in her chest wasn't there when she felt Pinkie's warm lips pressed against hers; it was replaced by a warmth that spread throughout her entire body. It was fantastic.

All these thoughts at the same time forced a blush to her cheeks; she was glad it was dark. She looked over at Pinkie, who she could see was grinning. She was glad that Pinkie was so happy, but she couldn't help but wonder if she made the right choice. Well, either way, she was the kind of pony who would see a decision through to the end.

Pinkie turned to look back at Twilight, who smiled. Maybe it _was_ a good decision after all..

The fifteen minutes spent walking back to the library were relatively quiet; not much laughing or joking, just the odd question or two and maybe a comment here and there. Nevertheless, by the time they reached the library, Twilight felt refreshed and began liking the choice she made more and more.

Pinkie stopped a good twenty yards from the library, to the slight confusion of Twilight. Seeing the look on Twilight's face, Pinkie quickly explained, "Well, I mean, this is what we've been doing. Like, for all the otherdates. So..."

Twilight giggled. "Not anymore. I wanted someone to talk to, so I told Spike a few days ago. He - well, he_seemed_ okay with it..." She trailed off, a few new questions popping into her mind. Spike was pretty neutral about it, which wasn't bad; it just wasn't the reaction she expected. What was going on in his mind?

Pinkie's soft voice brought the lavender unicorn out of her thoughts. "So... does this mean _I_ can tell other ponies?"

Twilight immediately saw the relative injustice in this, but was still reluctant to give such an outright answer. "I mean... well, I suppose that if I did, you should be able to, but... I just don't want the world to hear about it, you know?"

"No, I'll only tell a few - I mean, I already have a few in mind. That's all. I just wanna-" she stopped, unsure of how to continue.

"It's okay, Pinkie," Twilight replied. "I trust you. You're not gonna let this get out of hoof... right?"

"No! No, of course not! I just wasn't sure how you were gonna react. I was kinda nervous."

"Seriously, it's okay. Come on," she said, motioning her over and beginning to walk up towards the library. Pinkie happily obliged and sidled up alongside her - was it okay to say marefriend now? Yeah. Marefriend. Just the thought made her feel like giggling.

Twilight walked up to the steps alongside Pinkie, turning to her and smiling. Pinkie smiled back, her features illuminated softly by the candle hanging on the door. Pinkie blushed lightly as an impulse came to mind. "Can - can I..."

It took Twilight a second to realize what she was struggling to say. She blushed, too, but replied, "Yeah. Go ahead."

Then, to her mild horror, Pinkie realized that she had no idea what she was doing. She remembered what she'd been telling herself for the past few days, though: _Just be yourself. Follow your gut. She likes you._ She closed her eyes and leaned in, catching Twilight's lips just right, and pulled away slowly after about three seconds.

Twilight smiled and blushed deeper, before almost whispering "good night" and slipping quietly into the library.

The night was still, like the lake; no quiet breeze, no movement around her. The only thing Pinkie could hear was the sound of crickets chirping faintly around her. This set a calmness into her heart, a feeling of total peace and contentment. After this, this one evening, her life as she knew it was half-complete. She laid her head gently against the heavy, painted wooden door and whispered to the night.

"I love you."

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Every Thursday, Pinkie knew, was Fluttershy's spa day with Rarity, and there was no way Pinkie could wait any longer than she already had to tell Fluttershy the great news. As with every morning, of course, she'd woken up early, but today she hoped the Cakes would forgive her just this once to miss the first hour of work. This was some serious stuff.

She trotted down the path to Fluttershy's humming to herself and looking around joyfully at the birds and trees and things that surrounded her. Out of nowhere, a thought hit her, slowing her pace to a walk before she finally stopped, in repose in the middle of the forest. _You know, it'd be kinda mean if I went all braggy and stuff to Fluttershy, 'cause she's not with Rainbow Dash. It'd be all uncomfortable and not fun._

She paused, considering turning around and walking back home, before she thought, _No. I can't. I have to tell_somepony_, and I want Fluttershy to know really bad. I hope she won't be too mad. I don't wanna be a meanie._With this thought, and a final, short sigh of guilt, she continued walking down the path.

By the time she arrived at Fluttershy's, though, all of her pep had returned, and she was grinning from ear-to-ear, her mind replaying the events from the night before over and over in her head. She knocked twice on the door, bouncing a little in place.

She waited for a few minutes before looking around the side of the house, frowning. Where was Fluttershy? She didn't leave for her spa appointment for quite a while. But the cottage looked dark, and nopony appeared to be home.

She turned when she heard a flutter of wings behind her, and saw Fluttershy touching down about ten feet from her. "Fluttershy!" she shouted, and galloped off the porch and into a hug with her friend.

"Um, good morning, Pinkie," Fluttershy said, her voice wavering slightly. "What... what's up?"

"Nothing much. Except something totally amazingly awesome. Sh-" She was cut off by the guilty thought returning.

Fluttershy remained quiet, waiting for her friend to complete her sentence. "...Does it have something to do with baking?" she guessed, trying to help Pinkie around her thought.

"No, I know what it is, but..." She stopped again, imagining all the outcomes all at once. But, as she'd been telling herself so often, she followed her instinct. "You promise you won't get mad?" she asked quietly.

"Why would I get mad?" Fluttershy smiled, and began to walk past Pinkie to the cottage door. Her head bobbed as she walked, and she was humming softly to herself. Pinkie turned her head, looked rather surprisedly at Fluttershy, and quickly trotting up alongside her.

"Well, I mean..." She sighed. "Remember way back to when I came back to Ponyville with my cousin Tulip? You were there, and you came up and said hi, and then you left. Well, guess what happened after you left?"

Fluttershy shook her head. "What?"

"So, I turn around to walk into the apartment after you leave, but then I hear Twilight - yeah, I know, right? - Twilight calls my name, and so I turn around, and I'm all nervous, right? But then - oh, this is so super-duper - she asks me if we could go on a date sometime! _She_ asks _me_! I mean -" She stopped again, blushing something terrible.

Fluttershy looked over at Pinkie, who immediately looked like she was about to burst into tears. "I'm sorry, Fluttershy, I didn't mean to be rude or anything, I mean, I didn't t-"

"Wait, Pinkie," Fluttershy interrupted. "It's okay. I'm really happy for you. 'Cause I've been wanting to tell you something for the longest time, too, and I think it fits in really well here." She paused for dramatic effect, trying badly to suppress a grin. "I've been... steady with Rainbow Dash for a while."

Before she even finished the sentence, there was a huge gasp from Pinkie. "Oh my gosh, seriously?! W- th- I- i- m-" she stuttered. "I am shocked and amazed," she said finally, making Fluttershy giggle and flush a light pink. "No, seriously, that's awesome! When? How? Why?" she babbled, beginning to skip again.

Fluttershy finally smiled broadly. "Well, I was really surprised when you talked about Tulip, 'cause Dashie asked me during that party you threw for her. Sh-"

"I'm sorry, Fluttershy, I have to interrupt here. You call her _my_ pet name?"

"Um, well, _she_ asked _me_ to. I didn't mean to -"

"Woah, wait," Pinkie said, her voice rising. "That makes it even funnier!" she snorted, and brought a hoof up to her muzzle to stifle her laughter.

Fluttershy blushed. "Well, I - I don't want to - I mean, I'm sure she had a reason - well, I mean... I think it's cute..." she trailed off, her voice hidden under the sound of Pinkie's furious giggling.

"Anyway," she continued after Pinkie settled down, "Dash asked whether we could meet at eight where the party was. Well, I got there a little early, and when Dash came, we talked about all kinds of different stuff, and... well, I'll explain later. But it went really, really well."

"What happened?"

"I, um... I got a kiss," she said, her cheeks tinted red once more. _It's like she never stops blushing_, Pinkie thought. To herself.

"Well, right off the bat, huh? I had to work for it."

"You mean..."

"Yeah! Last night! Twice!" Pinkie grinned, about ready to burst into joyful laughter.

"Well, good for you, Pinkie!" Fluttershy seemed truly happy for her. "How was it? I - I mean... if you don't mind..." she added, embarrassed at her bluntness.

"It was probably the best thing I've ever felt." She stopped. "I know it sounds cheesy, but it really was the best experience I'd ever had before."

Pinkie noticed quickly that they were talking on the steps of Fluttershy's cottage, and said, "Well, I should probably get to work," before turning away and beginning her walk back to Ponyville. However, she turned back just before her friend was about to shut the door, and shouted back, "One last question!"

Fluttershy opened the door a bit again. "Yes?"

"Where were you coming from this morning?"

All Pinkie received in reply was a deep blush and a little smile, and she pretty much understood. "Ha! Oh my gosh! I knew it! You dirty mare, you!"

Fluttershy's smile grew a little wider before she disappeared behind the door.

Pinkie walked off laughing and talking to herself occasionally. "Oh, what luck!" "Seriously, what a koinkydoink." "Ha! I can't believe this."

Before she knew it, she was back at work, back on track, and ready to tackle a new day.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

"Spike?" Twilight called, pacing around the library and cleaning up a bit. Early-morning wasn't her favourite time of day, especially for drama or confrontations, but she had to get this over with before the thought left her mind again.

"In here, Twi!" Spike called, emerging from the basement. "It's really, really dusty in there. I'm not even - I mean, there's, like, a layer - a _visible layer_ - of dust covering everything down there. Hurts my lungs."

"Hold up, Spike, I have to ask you a serious question." She paused as he quieted down and began paying attention. "Are you... are you sure you're okay with me and Pinkie? I mean, I would've asked last night, but you were asleep, so I just remembered it and I... have to... ask," she slowed down, noticing the confused expression on her assistant's face.

It took him a few seconds to start talking. "Well, I dunno, Twilight. I mean, it's nice and all, but - well, I just think it's a little weird, 'cause, you know, now I'll never be able to look at Pinkie the same way. Or - or you, for that matter." He looked at the ground, embarrassed by his short monologue.

"Well, yeah, I had the same problem. But it'll all seem normal in a few days, hopefully. It does to me." She smiled, and Spike smiled back.

"It's not like I have anything against it, it's just... different. I'm cool with it."

"Oh. Good," Twilight finished lamely. _Note to self - no more dramatic anything in the morning. Can't think straight._


	14. Part 14 - Strange

"... And then she asks me out! _She_ asks _me_! It was amazing!"

"Well, that's good fer you, then, innit, Pinkie?" Applejack asked cheerfully.

"No, wait, it gets better! We went out, like, four times, and they were all awesome, but this last time a couple nights ago she led me up to this hill over a lake and it was all pretty and stuff and then after, like, ten minutes of just looking at the water, she leaned over and _kissed_ me!" Pinkie squee'd, and grinned from ear-to-ear remembering exactly what happened as a warmth ran through her body.

"So... she..."

"Yeah!"

There was a few moments of silence that spread throughout the farm. Pinkie's face fell when she realized she had no idea what the orange mare was feeling.. "...Applejack?"

"Huh? Oh, um, yeah, ah'm glad you two've hit it off." She flashed Pinkie a polite smile before turning away and dragging the apple cart down the broad central dirt path.

Pinkie followed quickly, trotting up alongside her friend. "Is something wrong? I thought you were okay with it..."

"Ah am, Pinkie, really, but..." Applejack paused, stopping beside one of the larger trees in the orchard. "It's... it's jist a little weird to see somethin' develop like this between two o' mah friends. Ah mean, how am ah suppose ta react next time ah see Twi?"

"Well, you don't really have to say anything at all; this is still really between me and Twi. I just wanted to tell somepony." Silence again - one of Pinkie's least favorite sounds. She tried quickly to think of a new subject. "... Hey! What about you? There anypony you've ever... you know..." she trailed off, nudging her teasingly.

Applejack shook her head. "Not yet. If only, right?" she chuckled. "Well, ah'm sure ah'll find somepony one day. Jist not today, apparently. One day, we're all gonna pack up n' move out, around the world, maybe with somepony. But ah hope it won't happen too soon." She smiled, and picked the reins up again to lead the cart down the road, Pinkie walking along side her quietly for a few minutes.

"Oh, um, by the way, I'm having a picnic for everypony, no reason, tomorrow at eleven." She grinned and began to skip away. "Potluck!" she added as she hopped put the gate.

Applejack was left alone in the huge acres, still trying to process the few pieces of information she'd been given. Eventually, she just shook her head and chuckled, continuing her rambling stroll through the farm.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

As she entered the cul-de-sac, her tuneless humming stopped abruptly. She peered across the circular tiled street at her apartment, and noticed with a bit of a panic that the lights were on. But she turned them off! She remembered specifically turning them off!

She broke into a swift trot as she made her way to the front door. She glanced at the doorknob, wondering whether, if there was somepony inside, she could defend herself. This hadn't ever happened before.

Her suspicions were confirmed - a loud crash and a low muttering came from the door momentarily. She frantically tried turning the knob, but the door was still locked. What was going on?

She slipped her key as silently as she could into the lock, and turned it slowly. When she heard the click, though, she burst through the door as quickly as she could, hoping to gain the advantage of surprise over the intruder.

The first thought to go through her mind was _Why is Twilight robbing my house?_ before she realized, to her great relief, that Twilight was standing in the kitchen, in front of an open oven and a mess of eggs, flour, sugar, mixing bowls, and the like on the counter.

"Oh, hi, Pinkie, I emptied your fridge," Twilight said as Pinkie walked into the room in a bit of a shock. She left the tray she was levitating down onto the counter before walking over to the pink mare and kissing her lightly on the cheek.

Pinkie was still more than confused from the fact that Twilight was in her home, making cupcakes, and became slightly more confused (and turned on) by the fact that Twilight had kissed her. She blushed a little bit and smiled goofily before shaking her head. "Twilight! What are you - I don't... are you trying to make my apple cupcakes?"

Twilight smiled again. "Yup! I found your recipe in the cupboard and read all the directions carefully and... wait." She paused, and raised a hoof to her mouth. "Oh my gosh, Pinkie, saying that out loud makes me realize how weird it is. I'm so, so sorry. I was just - I wanted to surprise you, 'cause... well, I'll tell you later, but I teleported into your living room and I was just waiting but then I remembered-"

Pinkie could see that Twilight was becoming more and more flustered by the second. She stopped her with a gentle hoof on her mouth, and smiled. "You're right, that's really weird. I wouldn't expect that out of you."

Twilight hung her head. "I know. It's probably the strangest thing I've done in years."

"But you know what?" Twilight raised her head a little, looking up at Pinkie with guilty eyes. "I like it." Pinkie grinned, and skipped over to the counter, leaned over, and licked the bowl. "Needs more sugar. Also, it's a bit too thick, you could thin it down with water and maybe add a little olive oil or vegetable oil for -"

"You mean, you're totally okay with the weirdest thing I've done in forever?" Twilight interrupted, walking over to her.

"Twi, I'm Pinkie Pie. I AM the weirdest thing ever. In the best way possible, of course," she added.

Twilight laughed. "And you're still gonna help make the cupcakes? 'Cause they're your cupcakes, you know."

"Why not? I mean, after all, there's a potluck tomorrow."

"Is that still on?" Twilight asked.

"Why would I cancel it?" Pinkie replied, and picked up the cupcake tin behind her, pouring its contents into the mixing bowl and starting to measure out the sugar.

"Is everypony coming?"

Pinkie dumped the sugar into the bowl and began stirring quickly, cradling the bowl as well as she could in one of her forelegs. "I'm not sure what you're asking. I invited everypony I know except the princesses. Is that what you're talking about?"

Twilight sidled up alongside her, keeping her eyes on the bowl. "Well... should we tell them?"

"Tell them wh- ohh." Pinkie stopped stirring for a second. "I dunno. If you want to. If Fl-yeah, we could," she replied, hoping desperately that the smartest pony in Ponyville wouldn't catch on.

To no avail, of course. "Flyeah?" Twilight asked. "What was that? If Fl... yeah?"

"Can't tell you," Pinkie said in a singsong voice, trying to keep it lighthearted.

"Is it about Fluttershy? It is, isnt it?"

_Dammit._ "Why do you do this to me, oh smart one?" she asked.

Twilight laughed again, and Pinkie joined in. "Okay. I'll just wait. Meanwhile, need any help?"

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

"Just one?"

"Nope."

The sweet smell of apples in the kitchen blended perfectly with the sugary smell that was almost always present in the apartment. Pinkie grinned at Twilight, happy that she was able to share such a great time with such a great mare.

"Half?" Twilight was practically begging.

_Oh sweet Celestia, she's too cute._ "I... um... I guess. One condition, though," she said, popping a freshly-frosted cupcake out of the pan, "we have to share."

Twilight sighed melodramatically. "Fine."

Pinkie unwrapped the pastry slowly, purposely building the tension, and tore it cleanly in half, letting the popping of air bubbles, the squish of moist cake, and the smell of apples fill the kitchen.

She compared the two in her mind, and handed the larger half to Twilight, who took it gratefully, bouncing in place and giggling before taking a slow bite.

"...You alright there, Twi?" Pinkie asked as she stared in slight confusion at the bouncing, ecstatic mare.

"I feel great today. Not to mention that these are excellent," Twilight replied, before taking another bite and closing her eyes, smiling broadly.

Pinkie blushed a little at this compliment. "Oh, stop it, you," she said, nudging Twilight teasingly with her hoof. She looked over at the lavender unicorn, just grinning. It was more than enough of a surprise that she visited. "Oh, by the way, what did you say you came over for?"

Twilight finished off the cupcake and shivered. "Amazing, really. Oh yeah, um, I just wanted to hang out."

Pinkie squinted at the purple mare. "So, you broke into my house..."

"Well, not really 'broke into', but-"

"... because you wanted to hang out with me? Twilight, that's really weird. So, this entire thing had no point at all? I mean, I'm cool with it, but... you know, it's not like you. Like me maybe, but..."

Twilight sighed. "There wasn't anything to do at the library, and I knew most everypony else was working or something. Plus, I wanted to be, you know, with you. I really do like you. A lot," she added sheepishly.

Pinkie was still stunned. All these feelings for her, coming from the only pony she'd ever had a major crush on. She couldn't tear her eyes away from Twilight as a long-time impulse popped back into her brain. She leaned forward and locked her lips with Twilight's. Her thoughts were screaming at her, but her body wouldn't move.

She noticed with surprise and relief that Twilight wasn't trying to pull away from her; in fact, she seemed to be leaning into it, enjoying it. This was what Pinkie had wanted for as long as she could remember. But it seemed so strange, so unbelievably unlikely that Twilight would just pop into her house and start making cupcakes. Honestly, it confused her.

Of course, now wasn't the time to think about it. She raised one foreleg slowly to Twilight's face and placed a hoof on her cheek, sending a tingle down her spine. Her heart beat faster and faster in her chest as she shivered with delight.

Finally, Twilight broke off, her eyes still closed and her muzzle darkened by a blush and her horn glowing dimly. Pinkie dropped her hoof back down to the floor and smiled shyly. "I - you - I'm... I don't..."

"Pinkie, calm down," Twilight giggled. "I thought we were in a relationship. Right?"

"Yes. Yeah. Definitely."

"Well, then, why are you still getting all flustered, like the first time? I don't want drama; I like the bouncy, happy Pinkie I know, but I also like the Pinkie that you showed me when we were dating - that witty, funny, smart Pinkie that I've come to like. A lot. This... well, it's good. I think I made the right decision."

Pinkie blinked, trying to understand exactly what Twilight was saying. She smiled widely and raided a hoof quickly to her eye.

"You okay, Pinkie?" Twilight teased.

"Yeah. It's fine." She paused. "You said you wanted to hang out. What do you wanna do first?"

Twilight smiled back. "You mean second."

"Still," Pinkie giggled.

"I dunno. We could walk around town, or just sit here and talk. Whatever you wanna do - I'm ready for anything."

Pinkie laughed. "Well, things do require careful planning, Pinkie," she said, mimicking Twilight's voice playfully. "Did I win you over or something? Isn't flexibility awesome?"

Twilight smiled, and looked away. "It is. But it took me quite a bit out of my comfort zone. Never thought I'd see the day when I was teleporting into somepony's house." She turned back to Pinkie and giggled. "It's your fault."

"Ha. I never thought I'd see the day that I enjoyed it when somepony teleported into my house." The kitchen became quiet again, but it wasn't an uncomfortable quiet. It was a nice quiet (something Pinkie didn't think existed).

Finally, after a minute or two, Pinkie broke the calm. "... Did you really mean all those things you said about me?"

"Did you mean all those things you said about me?" Twilight replied.

"Of course!"

"Well, then, there's your answer," Twilight smiled, kissing her gently on the cheek once more.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

It was almost nighttime before Twilight decided to retire for the evening. Pinkie followed her to the door, laughing, having just finished what was leftover from their dinner conversation.

Twilight turned as she began to step into the now-dark cul-de-sac. "Tomorrow, then, Pinkie?"

"Well, you don't have to leave so soon, Twi -"

"Soon? It's, like, eight. Nine, maybe."

"I mean, do you wanna stay the night?"

A smile crept onto Twilight's face that looked almost coy. "I'm not totally comfortable with that, yet, Pinkie -"

"Oh! Oh, Celestia, no, not like that! I mean, not that I wouldn't, but, I mean, you, um, I thought you -" Twilight giggled, and Pinkie paused to think for a second. "Sorry. Um, I mean, like a friendly, sleepover-y thing. I didn't mean..."

Twilight's smile spread back to being friendly. "I'm sorry, Pinkie, I still can't. Maybe next time. Maybe we could set up a date sometime, but this has all become... a bit too random for me. I'm not kidding, I'm still confused as to what's been happening." She laughed a little, the sound echoing in the empty street behind her.

She leaned forwards and gave Pinkie a warm hug and a short kiss. "Goodnight," she said softly before turning and walking quietly away.

Pinkie closed the screen door and leaned back against it, slowly slumping down to the floor. She heard a familiar sound off to her left, and smile when she saw Gummy staring blankly open-mouthed back at her.

She invited him into her forelegs and petted him slowly while thinking back over the terribly strange night. Her thoughts were interrupted by a little nibble from the tiny alligator and the sensation of a reptile snout nuzzling into her chest. As she sat, she felt his breathing slow, and heard a short, yawning sigh before he drifted off to sleep.

Pinkie yawned too (contagious indeed) and placed him gently on the couch next to her, tucking him in with an empty pillowcase she pulled from the loveseat nearby. She patted his head again, before trotting up to bed. Tomorrow would be a full, hopefully Twilight-filled day.


End file.
